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IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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Photographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14S80 

(716)  •72-4503 


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CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


:il»^iaw««8S!»i»*W««aBiiMMi«l^^ 


iiS!mi^xi0m~>>^''-'ii*-'^'^>^'^-^'"''''>'''~-''^''* 


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Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notos/Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


The  Institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best 
original  copy  available  for  filnning.  Features  of  this 
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which  may  alter  any  of  the  images  in  the 
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L'Institut  a  microfilm6  le  meilleur  exemplaire 
qu'il  lui  a  6t6  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details 
de  cet  exemplaire  qui  sont  peut-Stre  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibliographique,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  m6thode  normale  de  filmage 
sont  indiqu6s  ci-dessous. 


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Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 

Covers  damaged/ 
Couverture  endommag^e 

Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaurde  et/ou  pellicul^e 

Cover  title  missing/ 

Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 

Coloured  maps/ 

Cartes  gdographiques  en  couleur 

Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 

Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 
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Bound  with  other  material/ 
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II  se  peut  que  certaines  pages  blanches  ajout^es 
tors  d'une  restauration  apparaissent  dans  le  texte, 
mais,  lorsque  ceia  dtait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  6t6  film^es. 


□    Coloured  pages/ 
Pages  de  couleur 

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□    Quality  of  print  varies/ 
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Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to 
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Les  pages  totalement  ou  partiellement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata.  une  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  6t6  film6es*  d  nouveau  de  fapon  d 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


D 


Additional  comments:/ 
Commentaires  suppl6mentaires: 


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This  Item  Is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  fllm§  au  taux  de  reduction  indiqud  ci-dessous. 


10X 

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ttm^^Km 

26X 

SOX 



X 

*— ^ 

i7y 

LmiU 

^■"■■■^ 

16X 

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laire 
5  details 
lues  du 
It  modifier 
iger  une 
e  filmage 


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med  to 

nent 

une  pelure, 
fa9on  d 

9. 


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The  copy  filmed  here  has  been  reproduced  thanks 
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first  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  — ►  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 

Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
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entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


1 

2 

3 

L'exemplaire  filmd  fut  reproduit  grdce  d  la 
g6n6rosit6  de: 

Library  of  Congress 
Photcduplication  Service 

Les  images  suivantes  ont  6t6  reproduites  avec  le 
plus  grand  soin,  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  et 
de  la  nettetd  de  l'exemplaire  film6,  et  en 
conformity  avec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmage. 

Les  exemplaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprimde  sont  filmds  en  commen9ant 
par  le  premier  plat  et  en  termin&nt  soit  par  la 
dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  selon  le  cas.  Tous  les  autres  oxemplaires 
originaux  sont  film6s  en  commengant  par  la 
premidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  derniftre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  des  symboles  suivants  appara?tra  sur  la 
dernidre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbole  — ^  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symbole  y  signifie  "FIN". 

Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  dtre 
filmds  d  des  taux  de  reduction  diffdrents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  dtre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  clich6,  il  est  film6  d  partir 
de  Tangle  sup^rieur  gauche,  de  gauche  d  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  n6cessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  m^thode. 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

i6*«ii»«.*^»rae;^^  ^ 


SAiTL  THOMSON,  Botanist. 

His  .system  and  practice  orijrinatinjr  with  hinistlt. 


H()1;N   Fl^BKl'AUV  9lh.   1769. 


.-*j&"-^^*'^-^'*A-i'-^^i'r;.-':-^.T^V'.*^rJf'..ft''T,..-«-iv'4-.^. 


r.ii'i1e^,i':^^^.. -■r.vTj.-?^*^-  MrT"«--T' ,  ■/■Mrts-r'ijjfj  ■ 


NEW  GUIDE  TO  HEALTH; 


OR. 


lOTHIK  Fimill  PIISICIII, 


CONTAINING 

A  COMPLETE  SYSTEM  OF  PRACTICE 

On  a  Plan  entirely  ivewi 

WITH  A  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE   VBaBTABLBS  HADE   U5E   OP.  AND  D|. 

RECTIONS  FOR  PREPARING  AND  ADMINISTBRINQ  THEM 

TO  CURE  DISEASE. 


TO  WHICH    IS  ADDETJ 

A  DESCRIPTION  OF  SEVERAL  CASES  OP   DISEASE  ATTENDED  BY  THE 
AUTHOR,  WITH  THE  MODE  OF  TREATMENT  AND  CURE. 


THIRD  EDITION. 


/ 


SEP     .)    . 


IV  SAIVIUEI-  THOIVISOIM         ^ /onJ  1/ -^^ 


W 


BOSTON: 
I'KINTRU  FOK  THE  AUTHOR,  BY  J.  HoWi;. 

I83I. 


/c^ 


A  Repriut  from  third  edition  l.y  A.  I.  Berniiiger,  Indianapolis,  ind.,  1»M. 


.r.assl>J:i!a£±3Qsi:x-:;^ 


■.^m 


District  ct  /Dassacbusetts,  to  wit: 


District  Ci.krk's  Oki-ick. 

Bk  it  RK.MK.MHKki:i>,  That  oil  the  twenty-third  day  of  November, 
A.  D.  1822,  ill  the  forty -seventh  year  of  the  Independence  of  the  United 
States,  of  America,  Samuki  Thomson,  of  the  siiid  District,  has  de- 
posited in  this  Office  the  Title  of  a  Book,  the  right  whereof  he  claims 
as  Author  and  I'roprietor,  in  the  words  following,  to  wit: 

"  New  Guide  to  Health;  or,  Botanic  Family  Physician.  Contain- 
ing a  complete  System  of  Practice,  upon  a  plan  entirely  new;  with  a 
description  of  the  vegetables  made  use  of,  and  directions  for  preparing 
and  administering  them  to  cure  disease.  To  which  is  added  a  de- 
scription of  .several  cases  of  disease  attended  by  the  author,  with  the 
mode  of  treatment  and  cure.     By  Samuel  Thomson." 

In  confonnity  to  the  Act  of  the  Congress  of  the  Ihiited  States,  en- 
titled, "  An  Act  for  the  Kncouragement  of  Learning,  by  securing  the 
Copies  of  Maps,  Charts  and  Books,  to  the  Authors  and  Proprietors  of 
such  Copies,  during  the  times  therein  mentioned:"  and  also  to  An 
Act  entitled,  "  An  Act  Supplementar)-  to  An  Act  entitled.  An  Act  for 
the  Encouragement  of  Learning,  by  securing  the  Copies  of  Maps, 
Charts,  and  Books  to  the  Autliors  and  Proprietors  of  such  Copies  dur- 
ing the  times  therein  mentioned;  and  extending  the  benefits  thereof 
to  the  Arts  of  Designing,  Engraving  and  Etching  Historical  and  other 
Prints." 

JNO.  W.  DAVIS, 

Clerk  of  the  Distriet  of  Massachusetts. 
Reprint  Copyrighted,  WH,  by  A.  I.  Berninger. 


■.  J.  CLAnKC,  pniNTcn.  lae  %.  clinton  st..  chioaoo 


v'^ 


TO  THE  PROFESSION,  AND  FRIENDS  OF  PHYSIO-MEDICALISHI. 

Ever  since  I  have  read  Samuel  Thomson's  writings,  I 
have  been  much  impressed  with  the  great  number  of  truths 
contained  in  them,  and  the  wonderful  amount  of  information 
which  might  be  gained  by  both  the  profession  and  the  public 
could  his  works  be  scattered  broadcast.  I  think  all  who 
have  read  them,  and  are  practicing  the  physio-medical  sys- 
tem of  medicine,  will  readily  concede  this. 

Understanding  something  of  the  darkness  in  which  the 
medical  world  still  .struggles;  being  personally  thankful  for  a 
knowledge  of  the  system,  and  having  a  burning  desire  to  see 
the  borders  of  this  "  vSchool  of  Medicine"  extended,  even  to 
the  ends  of  the  world,  I  undertook,  through  the  profession, 
to  get  out  this  reprint. 

For  my  success  so  far  I  thank  all  who  have  .supported  the 
undertaking. 

The  future  .scattering  of  this  knowledge  lies  largely  with 
you.  Will  you  not  have  a  further  part  in  this  work  by  in- 
ducing all  whom  you  can  to  read  this  book  ? 

Upon  hearing   these  truths  you  were  convinced.     Cer- 
tainly others  will  be  also.     Lef  them  hear. 
Yours  for  medical  reform, 

A.  I.     BERNINGER. 


«^    i.!" 


Pi 

k 


rr 


r  . 


il! 


m 


TO  THE  PUBLIC. 

Tlif  preparing  the  following  work  for  the'  press  has  lx;eti 
a  task  of  much  difficulty  and  labor;  for  to  comprise  in  a  short 
compass,  and  to  convey  a  correct  understanding  of  the  sub- 
ject, from  such  a  mass  of  materials  as  I  have  teen  enabled  to 
collect  by  thirty  years'  practice,  is  a  business  of  no  small 
magnitude.  The  plan  that  has  l)een  adopted  I  thought  the 
be.stto  give  a  correct  knowledge  of  my  sy.stem  of  practice; 
and  am  confident  that  the  descriptions  and  directions  are 
.sufficiently  explained  to  be  understood  by  all  those  who  take 
an  interest  in  this  important  subject.  Much  more  might 
liave  been  written,  but  the  main  object  has  been  to  confine  it 
to  the  practice,  and  nothing  more  is  .stated  of  the  theory  than 
what  was  necessary  to  give  a  general  knowledge  of  the  sys- 
tem. Ifany  errors  should  be  di.scovered,  it  is  hoped  that  they 
will  be  viewed  with  candor;  for  in  first  publishing  a  work, 
such  things  are  to  lie  expected ;  but  much  care  has  been  taken 
that  there  should  be  no  error  which  would  cause  an>-  mis- 
take in  the  practice,  or  preparing  the  medicine. 

Many  persons  are  practicing  by  my  .system  who  are  in  the 
habit  of  pretending  that  they  have  made  great  improvements; 
and  in  some  instances  it  is  well  known  that  poisonous  drugs 
have  been  madeuseofunder  thenameof  my  medicine,  which 
has  counteracted  its  operation,  and  thereby  tended  to  destroy 
the  confidence  of  the  public  in  my  system  of  practice;  this  has 
never  been  authorized  by  me.  The  public  are  therefore  cau- 
tiojied  against  such  conduct,  and  all  those  who  are  well  dis- 
posed towards  my  system  are  desired  to  lend  their  aid  in 
exposing  all  such  dishonest  practices,   in  order  that  justice 


' 


.-^' 


J»llj,  II 


II  .  /f, AV.A'.Wt.V'/'. 

may  l)e  doiu-.  Tliosc  who  possess  tliis  work  may,  by  ex- 
ainiuinK  it,  ht;  ablf  to  detect  any  improper  deviatioiis  there- 
from, and  tlie\  are  assured  that  any  practice  wliich  is  not 
conformable  to  the  directions  given,  and  does  not  agree  with 
the  principles  herein  laid  down,  is  nnnnthori/ed  by  me. 


AGREEMENT. 

■  The  Sub.scril)er,  who  is  the  discoverer  and  proprietor  of 
the  system  of  medical  practice  contained  in  this  work,  agrees 
to  give,  whenever  applied  to,  any  information  that  shall  be 
necessary  to  give  a  complete  understanding  of  the  obtaining, 
preparing  and  using  all  such  vegetables  as  are  made  use  of 
in  said  system,  to  all  those  who  purchase  the  right;  and  the 
purcha.sers,  in  consideration  of  the  above  information,  and 
also  what  is  contained  in  this  book,  agree  in  the  .spirit  of 
mutual  interest  and  honor  not  to  reveal  any  part  of  said 
information  to  any  person  except  those  who  purchase 
the  right,  to  the  injury  of  the  proprietor,  under  the  penalty 
of  forfeiting  their  word  and  honor,  and  all  right  to  the  u.se  of 
the  medicine.  And  everj-  person  who  purchases  the  right, 
is  to  be  considered  a  member  of  the  Friendly  Botanic  Society, 
and  entitled  to  a  free  intercourse  with  the  members  for  in- 
formation and  friendlv  as.si.stance. 


1 


in   i 


i 


NKW    (IIMDK    TO     I1KAI/I*H; 
OK, 

Botanic   Kamh.v   1'iivsiciax. 

INTRODUCTION. 

There  are  three  things  which  have,  in  a  greater  or  less  de- 
gree, called  the  attention  of  men,  viz. :  Religion,  Govern- 
ment, and  Medicine.  In  ages  past,  these  things  were  thought 
by  millions  to  belong  to  three  classes  of  men,  prie.sts, 
lawyers,  and  phy.sicians.  The  prie.sts  held  the  things  of 
religion  in  their  own  hands,  and  brought  the  people  to  their 
terms;  kept  the  Scriptures  in  the  dead  languages,  so  that  the 
common  people  could  not  read  them.  Those  days  of  dark- 
ness are  done  away;  the  .Scriptures  are  tran.slated  into  c/ur 
own  language,  and  each  one  is  taught  to  read  for  himself, 
(iovernment  was  once  considered  as  lielonging  to  a  few,  who 
thought  themselves  "born  only  to  rule."  The  common 
l^ople  have  now  become  acquainted  with  the  great  secret  of 
government,  and  know  that  "all  men  are  born  free  and 
equal,"  and  that  magistrates  are  put  in  authority,  or  out,  by 
the  voice  of  the  people,  who  choo.se  them  for  their  public 
servants. 

While  these,  and  many  other  things,  are  brought  where 
"common  people"  can  understand  them,  the  knowledge 
and  u.se  of  medicine  is  in  a  great  measure  concealed  in  a 
dead  language,  and  a  sick  man  is  often  obliged  to  risk  his 
life,  where  he  would  not  ri.sk  a  dollar;  and  should  the  anoth- 


i 
J! 


.( 


.^ 


.\E\V  (.(/DE  TO  HEALTH;  Oh\ 


i 


ecary  or  his  apprentice  make  a  mistake,  the  sick  man  cannot 
correct  it,  and  thus  is  exposed  to  receive  an  instrument  of 
death,  instead  of  that  which  would  restore  him  to  health,  had 
he  known  good  medicine. 

"  It  may  be  alleged,"  said  Dr.  Buchan,  "that  layhig 
medicine  more  open  to  mankind  would  lessen  their  faith  in 
it.  This  indeed  would  be  the  case  with  regard  to  some,  but 
it  would  have  a  quite  contrary  eifect  upon  others.  I  know 
many  people  who  have  the  utmost  dread  and  horror  of  every 
thing prescnbed  by  a  physician,  who  will,  neverthele.ss,  very 
readily  take  a  medicine  which  thej'  know,  and  whose  quali- 
ties they  are  in  some  measure  acquainted  with. 

"  Nothing  ever  can,  or  will  inspire  mankind  with  an  ab- 
solute confidence  in  physicians  but  by  their  being  open, 
frank,  and  undisgui.sed  in  their  behaviour. 

' '  The  most  effectual  way  to  destroy  quackery  in  any  art 
or  science,  is  todiffu.se  the  knowledge  of  it  among  mankind. 
Did  physicians  write  their  prescriptions  in  the  common 
language  of  the  country,  and  explain  their  intentions  to  the 
patient,  as  far  as  he  could  understand  them,  it  would  enable 
them  to  know  when  the  medicine  had  the  desired  effect; 
would  inspire  him  with  absolute  confidence  in  the  physician; 
and  would  make  him  dread  and  detest  every  man  who  pie- 
tended  to  cram  a  secret  medicine  or  poison  down  his  throat." 

It  is  true  that  much  of  what  is  at  this  day  called  medi- 
cine is  deadly  poison,  and  were  people  to  know  what  is 
offered  them  of  this  kind,  they  would  absolutely  refuse  ever 
to  receive  it  as  a  medicine.  This  I  have  long  seen  and  known 
to  be  true,  and  have  labored  hard  for  many  years  to  con- 
vince them  of  the  evils  that  attend  such  a  mode  of  procedure 
with  the  sick,  and  have  turned  my  attention  to  those  medi- 
cines that  grow  in  our  own  country ,  which  nature  has  preparetl 
for  the  benefit  of  mankind.  Long  has  a  general  medicine 
been  sought  for,  and  I  am  confident  I  have  found  such  as  are 
universally  applicable  in  all  cases  of  disease,  and  which  may 
be  used  with  safety  and  success  in  the  hands  of  the  people. 

After  thirty  years'  study,  and  repeated  successful  trials  of 
the  medicinal  vegetables  of  our  own  country,  in  all  the  dis- 
eases incident  to  our  cHmate,  I  can,  with  well-grounded  as- 


•m,. 


iior.iMc  h'.\..m.y  /•/ns/a.i.w  o 

surance,  recommend  my  system  of  practice  and  medicines  to 
the  public  as  salutary  and  efficacious. 

Great  discoveries  and  improvements  have  been  made  in 
various  arts  and  sciences  since  the  first  settlement  of  our 
country,  while  its  medicines  have  been  very  much  neglected. 
As  these  medicines,  suited  to  every  disease,  grow  spontane- 
ously upon  our  own  soil;  as  they  are  better  adapted  to  the 
constitution;  as  the  price  of  imported  drugs  is  very  high;  it 
follows,  whether  we  consult  health,  which  is  of  primary  im- 
portance, or  expense,  a  decided  preference  should  be  given  to 
the  former,  as  an  object  of  such  magnitude  as  no  longer  to  be 
neglected.  Yet  in  the  introduction  of  those  medicines  I 
have  been  violently  oppo.sed,  and  my  theory  and  practice 
condemned,  notwithstanding  the  demonstrative  proofs  in 
their  favor.  But  those  who  thus  condemn  have  taken  no 
pains  to  throw  oif  prejudice,  and  examine  the  subject  with 
candor  and  impartiality.  Such  as  have,  are  thoroughly  sat- 
isfied of  their  utility  and  superior  excellence. 

From  those  who  measure  a  man's  understanding  and 
ability  to  lie  beneficial  to  his  fellowmen  only  from  the  acqui- 
sition he  has  made  in  literature  from  books;  from  such  as  are 
governed  by  outward  appearance,  and  wlio  will  not  stoop  to 
examine  a  system  on  the  ground  of  its  intrin.sic  merit,  I  ex- 
pect not  encouragement,  but  opposition.  But  this  will  not 
di.scourage  me.  I  consider  the  discovery  I  have  made  of 
inestimable  value  to  mankind,  and  intended  for  the  great 
benefit  of  those  who  are  willing  to  receive  it. 

Being  born  in  a  new  country,  at  that  time  almost  a  howl- 
ing wilderness,  my  advantages  for  an  education  were  ver>' 
small;  buc  pos.sessing  a  natural  gift  for  examining  the  things 
of  nature,  my  mind  was  left  entirely  free  to  follow  that  in- 
clination by  inquiring  into  the  meaning  of  the  great  variety 
of  objects  around  me. 

Possessing  a  body  like  other  men,  I  was  led  to  inquire 
into  the  nature  of  the  component  parts  of  what  man  is  made. 
I  found  him  composed  of  the  four  elements — earth,  water, 
air  and  fire.  The  earth  and  water,  I  found,  were  the  solids; 
the  air  and  fire  the  fluids.  The  two  first  I  found  to  be  the  • 
component  parts ;  the  two  last  kept  in  motion .     Heat,  I  found , 


■Altos'."' 


m 


10  \E\V  (H: IDE  TO  HEALTH;  Oh\ 

was  life;  and  cold,  death.  Each  one  who  examines  into  it 
will  find  that  all  constitutions  are  alike.  I  shall  now  describe 
the  fuel  which  continues  the  fire,  or  life,  of  man.  This  is 
contained  in  two  things,  food  and  medicines,  which  are  in 
harmony  with  each  other;  often  grow  in  the  same  field,  to  be 
used  by  the  same  people.  People  who  are  capable  of  raising 
their  food,  and  preparing  the  same,  may  as  ea.sily  learn  to 
collect  and  prepare  all  their  medicines,  and  administer  the 
same  when  it  is  needed.  Our  life  depends  on  heat;  food  is 
the  fuel  that  kindles  and  continues  that  heat.  The  digestive 
powers  being  correct,  causes  the  food  to  consume;  this  con- 
tinues the  warmth  of  the  body  by  continually  .supporting  the 
fire. 

The  stomach  is  the  deposit  from  which  the  whole  body  is 
supported.  The  heat  is  maintained  in  the  stomach  by  con- 
suming the  food,  and  all  the  body  and  limbs  receive  their 
proportion  of  nourishment  and  heat  from  that  .source,  as  the 
whole  room  is  warmed  by  the  fuel  which  is  consumed  in  the 
fireplace.  The  greater  the  quantity  of  wood  consumed  in  the 
fireplace,  the  greater  the  heat  in  the  room.  So  in  the  body, 
the  more  food,  well  digested,  the  more  heat  and  support 
through  the  whole  man.  By  constantly  receiving  food  into 
the  stomach,  which  is  sometimes  not  suitable  for  the  best 
nourishment,  the  stomach  becomes  foul,  so  that  the  food  is 
lot  well  digested.  This  causes  the  body  to  lose  its  he^t;  then 
the  appetite  fails;  the  bones  ache,  and  the  man  is  sick  in 
every  part  of  the  whole  frame. 

This  situation  of  the  body  shows  the  need  of  medicine, 
and  the  kind  needed;  which  is  such  as  will  clear  the  stomach 
and  bowels,  and  restore  the  digestive  powers.  When  this  is 
done,  the  food  will  raise  the  heat  again,  and  nourish  the 
whole  man.  All  the  art  required  to  do  this  is  to  know  what 
medicine  will  do  it,  and  how  to  administer  it,  as  a  person 
knows  how  to  clear  a  stove  and  the  pipe  when  clogged  with 
soot,  that  the  fire  may  burn  free,  and  the  whole  room  be 
warmed  as  before. 

The  body,  after  being  cleared  of  whatever  clogs  it,  will 

•  consume  double  the  food,  and  the  food  will  afford  double  the 

nourishment  and  heat  that  it  did  before.     We  know  that  our 


% 


I 


IIOTAXIC  F.  IMIL  y  I'HYSICIAX.  1 1 

life  depends  on  food,  and  the  stomach  being  in  a  situation  to 
receive  and  digest  it.  When  the  stomach  and  bowels  are 
clogged,  all  tliat  is  needed  is  the  most  suitable  medicine  to 
remove  the  obstructions  in  the  system.  All  di.sease  is 
caused  by  clogging  the  system ;  and  all  disease  is  removed  by 
restoring  the  digestive  powers,  so  that  food  may  keep  up  that 
heat  on  which  life  depends. 

I  have  foutid  by  experience  that  the  learned  doctors  are 
wrong  in  considering  fever  a  disease  or  enemy;  the  fever  is  a 
friend,  and  cold  the  enemy.  This  I  found  by  their  practice  in 
my  family,  until  they  had  five  times  given  them  over  to  die. 
Exercising  my  own  judgment,  I  followed  after  them,  and 
relieved  my  family  every-  time.  After  finding  a  general  prin- 
ciple respecting  fevers,  and  reducing  that  to  practice,  I  found 
it  sure  in  all  disease,  where  there  was  any  nature  left  to  build 
on,  and  in  three  years'  constant  practice  I  never  lost  one 
patient. 

I  attended  on  all  the  fevers  peculiar  to  our  country,  and 
always  used  it  as  a  friend,  -^nd  that  returned  the  gratitude  to 
the  patient.  I  soon  began  to  give  this  information  to  the 
people,  and  convinced  many  that  thej-  might  as  certainly  re- 
lieve themselves  of  their  disease  as  of  their  hunger.  The 
expense  to  them  to  be  always  able  to  relieve  themselves  and 
families  would  be  but  small;  and  the  medicine  they  may 
procure  and  prepare  themselves. 

This  greatly  disturbed  the  learned  doctors,  and  some  of 
them  undertook  to  destroy  me  bj'  reporting  that  I  used  poi- 
son; though  they  made  no  mention  of  my  using  their  instru- 
ments of  death,  mercury,  opium,  ratsbane,  nitre,  and  the 
lancet.  I  considered  it  my  duty  to  withstand  them,  though 
I  found  my  overthrow  was  what  they  aimed  at.  A  plan  was 
once  laid  to  take  me  in  the  night,  but  I  escaped.  Next  I 
was  indicted  as  though  I  had  given  poison,  and  a  bill  brought 
against  me  for  wilful  murder.  I  was  bound  in  irons  and 
thrust  into  prison,  to  be  kept  there  through  the  winter,  with- 
out being  allowed  bail.  I  petitioned  for  and  obtained  a 
special  court  to  try  the  cause,  and  was  honorably  acquitted, 
after  forty  days'  imprisonment.  I  maintained  my  integrity 
in  the  place  where  my  persecution  began.     In  five  years. 


\ 


■ja^i^-J^  ---^   ^^,:^i<f.-^i>~.^-'if^;.^l^,-^ii^C,-, 


12 


NEW  a VI I'll'.    TO  HHALTH;  OR, 


while  vindicating  this  new  and  useful  discovery,  1  lost  five 
thousand  dollars,  besides  all  the  persecution,  trouble,  lass  of 
health,  and  reproach  which  has  been  in  connection  with  the 
losses. 

It  has  been  acknowledged,  even  by  those  who  are  un- 
friendly to  me  and  my   practice,  that  my  medicine  may  be 
good  in  some  particular  cases,  but  not  in  all.     But  this  is  an 
error.     For  there  are  but  two  great  principles  in  the  consti- 
tution of  things,  whether  applied  to  the  mind  or  body— the 
principle  of  life  and  the  principle  of  death.     That  which  con- 
tains the  principle  of  life  may  be  perverted,    by  a  misappli- 
cation, into  an  administration  of  death;  as  the  stomach  may 
be  overloaded,    and   injured,  even  by  wholesome  food:  but 
nothing  that  is  wholesome  in  any  case,  unless  abused,  can 
be  even  tortured  into  an  administration  of  death.     If,  then, 
a  medicine  is  good  in  any  case,  it  .is  because  it  is  agreeable 
to  nature,  or  this  principle  of  life,  the  very  opposite  of  dis- 
ease.    If  it  is  agreeable  in  one  case,  it  must  be  absolutelj-  .so 
in  all.     By  the  active  operation  (Jf  nature,  the  whole  animal 
economy   is  carried  on;  and  the  father  of  the  healing  art, 
Hippocrates,  tells  us,  what  is  an  obvious  truth,  that  nature 
is  heat.     The  principle  is  the  same  in  all,  diflFering  only  in 
degree.     When  disease  invades  the  frame,  it  resists  in  pro- 
portion to  its  force,   till  overpowered  into  submission,  and 
when  extinguished,  death   follows,    and  it  ceases  to  operate 
alike  in  all.     If  then,  heat  is  life,  and  its  extinction  death,  a 
diminution  of  this  vital  flame  in   every  in.stance  constitutes 
disease,  and  is  an  approximation  to  death.     All,  then,  that 
medicine  can  do  in  the  expulsion  of  disorder,  is  to  kindle  up 
the  decaying  spark,  and  restore  its  energy  till  it  glows  in  all 
its  wonted  vigor.     If  a  direct  administration  can  be  made 
to  produce  this  effect,  and  it  can,  it  is  evidently  immaterial 
what  is  the  name,    or  color,  of  the  disease,  whether  bilious, 
yellow,  scarlet  or  spotted;  whether  it  is  simple  or  complica- 
ted, or  whether  nature  has  one  enemy  or  more.     Names  are 
arbitrary  things;  the  knowledge  of  a  name  is  but  the  cummin 
and  annis,  but  in  the  knowledge  of  the  origin  of  a  malady, 
and  its  antidote,  lies  the  weightier  matters  of  this  science. 


BOTANIC  I   IJMll.y  I'HVSICIAN.  \\\ 

This  knowledge  makes  the  genuine  physician:  all  without  it 
is  real  quackery. 

It  has  been  a  general  opinion  that  extensive  study  and 
great  erudition  are  necessary  to  form  the  eminent  physician. 
But  all  this  may  be,  as  Paul  saith,  but  science,  falsely  so 
called.  A  man  may  have  a  scientific  knowledge  of  the  hu- 
man frame;  he  may  know  the  names  in  every  language  of 
every  medicine,  mineral  and  vegetable,  as  well  as  ever>'  dis- 
ease, and  yet  be  a  miserable  physician.  But  there  have 
been  men  without  this  to  boast  of,  from  the  earliest  ages  of 
the  world,  who  have  "arisen,  blest  with  the  .sublimer  pow- 
ers of  genius,  who  have,  as  it  were,  with  one  look  pierced 
creation,  and  with  one  comprehensive  view  grasped  the 
whole  circle  of  science,  and  left  learning  itself  toiling  after 
them  in  vain. ' '  A  man  never  can  be  great  without  intellect, 
and  he  never  can  more  than  fill  the  measure  of  his  capacity. 
There  is  a  power  beyond  the  reach  of  art,  and  there  are  gifts 
that  study  and  learning  can  never  rival. 

The  practice  of  the  regular  physicians,  that  is  those  who 
get  a  diploma,  at  the  present  time,  is  not  to  use  those  means 
which  would  be  most  likely  to  cure  disease,  but  to  try  ex- 
periments upon  what  they  have  read  in  books,  and  to  see 
how  much  a  patient  can  bear  without  producing  death.  Af- 
ter pursuing  this  plan  during  their  lives,  they  know  just 
about  as  much  as  they  did  when  they  began  to  practice  of 
what  is  really  useful  to  mankind.  If  a  patient  dies  under 
their  hands,  why,  it  is  the  will  of  God,  and  they  are  sure  to 
get  extravagantly  paid  for  their  trouble,  and  nothing  more  is 
said  about  it;  but  if  one  out  of  hundreds  of  my  patients  die, 
and  where  the  doctors  have  given  them  over  as  incurable, 
they  at  once  cry  out  that  it  is  quackerj',  that  I  gave  them 
poison,  etc.,  for  the  purpose  of  running  me  and  my  medicine 
down,  and  to  prevent  it  being  used  by  the  people.  The  fact 
is  well  known  to  thousands  who  have  used  my  medicine,  and 
to  which  they  are  ready  to  attest,  that  it  is  perfectly  harmless, 
and  I  defy  the  faculty  to  produce  one  instance  wherein  it  has 
had  any  bad  effects. 

It  is  true  that  the  study  of  anatomy,  or  structure  of  the 
human  body,  and  of  the  whole  animal  economy,  is  pleasing 


.-.i.ii 


14 


NliW  GUIDE  TO  HEALTH;  Oh\ 


and  useful;  nor  is  there  any  objection  to  this,  however  minute 
and  critical,  if  it  is  not  to  the  neglect  of  first  great  principles, 
and  the  weightier  matters  of  knowledge.  But  it  is  no  more 
necessary  to  mankind  at  large  to  qualify  them  to  administer 
relief  from  pain  and  sickness,  than  to  a  cook  in  preparing 
food  to  satisfy  hunger  and  nourishing  the  body.  There  is 
one  general  cause  of  hunger  and  one  general  supply  of  food ; 
one  general  cause  of  di.sease,  and  one  general  remedy.  One 
can  be  satisfied,  and  the  other  removed,  by  an  infinite  vari- 
ety of  articles,  best  adapted  to  those  different  purposes.  That 
medicine,  therefore,  that  will  open  obstruction,  promote  per- 
spiration, and  restore  digestion,  is  suited  to  every  patient, 
whatever  form  the  disea.se  assumes,  and  is  universally  appli- 
cable. And  acute  disorders,  such  as  fevers,  colics  and  dys- 
enterj-,  may  be  relieved  thereby  in  twenty-four  or  forty-eight 

hours,  at  mo,st. 

REMARKS  ON  FEVERS. 

Much  has  been  .said  and  written  upon  fevers  by  the  pro- 
fessedly learned  Doctors  of  Medicine,  without  throwing  the 
most  profitable  light  on  the  subject,  or  greatly  benefiting 
mankind.  They  have  been  abundantly  fruitful  in  inventing 
names  for  di.sease,  and  with  great  care  and  accuracy  distin- 
guished the  different  symptoms,  but  they  appear  quite  bar- 
ren as  to  the  knowledge  of  their  origin  and  remedy.  To  the 
first,  but  little  importance,  comparatively  speaking,  can  be 
attached;  the  latter  is  of  the  highest  importance  to  all  classes 
of  people. 

According  to  the  writings  of  learned  physicians,  there  are 
a  great  variety  of  fevers;  some  more  and  some  less  danger- 
ous. But  to  begin  with  a  definition  of  the  name.  What  is 
fever?  Heat,  undoubtedly,  though  a  disturbed  operation  of 
it.  But  is  there  in  the  human  frame  more  than  one  kind  of 
heat?  Yes,  says  the  physician,  strange  as  it  may  appear, 
there  is  the  pleuritic  heat,  the  slow,  nervous  heat,  the  putrid 
heat,  the  hectic  heat,  the  yellow  heat,  the  spotted  or  cold 
heat,  the  typhus  or  ignorant  heat,  and  many  other  heats, 
and  sometimes,  calamitous  to  tell,  one  poor  patient  has  the 
most,  or  the  whole,  of  these  fevers,  and  dies  at  last  for  want  of 
heat! 


I'll  i! 


nOTANIC  FAMILY  PHYSTCIAN,  i:, 

Is  fever  or  heat  a  disease?  Hippocrates,  the  acknowl- 
edged father  of  physicians,  maintained  that  nature  is  heat, 
and  he  is  correct.  Is  nature  a  disease?  Surely  it  is  not. 
What  is  commonly  called  fever  is  the  effect,  and  not  the 
cause,  of  di.sease.  It  is  the  struggle  of  nature  to  throw  off 
disease.  The  cold  causes  an  obstruction,  and  fever  arises,  in 
consequence  of  that  obstruction,  to  throw  it  off.  This  is  uni 
versally  the  case.  Remove  the  cause,  the  effect  will  cease. 
No  person  ever  yet  died  of  a  fever!  for  as  death  approaches, 
the  patient  grows  cold,  until  in  death  the  last  spark  of  heat 
is  extinguished.  This  the  learned  doctors  cannot  deny;  and 
as  this  is  true,  they  ought,  in  justice,  to  acknowledge  that 
their  whole  train  of  depletive  remedies,  such  as  bleeding, 
blistering,  physicing,  starving,  with  all  their  refrigeratives, 
their  opium,  mercury,  arsenic,  antimony,  nitre,  etc.,  are  so 
many  deadly  engines,  combined  with  the  di.sease,  against  the 
constitution  and  life  of  the  patient.  If  cold,  which  is  the 
commonly  received  opinion,  and  which  is  true,  is  the  cause 
of  fever,  to  repeatedly  bleed  the  patient,  and  administer  mer- 
cury-, opium,  nitre,  and  other  refrigerents,  to  restore  him  to 
health,  is  as  though  a  man  should,  to  increase  a  fire  in  his 
room,  throw  a  part  of  it  out  of  the  house,  and  to  increase  the 
remainder,  put  on  water,  snow  and  ice! 

As  it  is  a  fact  that  cannot  be  denied,  that  fever  takes  its 
rise  from  one  great  cause  or  origin,  it  follows,  of  course,  that 
one  method  of  removing  that  cause  will  answer  in  all  cases, 
and  the  great  principle  is  to  assist  nature,  which  is  heat. 

At  the  commencement  of  a  fever,  by  direct  and  proper 
application  of  suitable  medicine,  it  can  be  easily  and  speedily 
removed,  and  the  patient  need  not  be  confined  long.  Twen- 
ty-four or  forty -eight  hours,  to  the  extent,  are  sufficient,  and 
often  short  of  that  time  the  fever  may  be  removed,  or  that 
which  is  the  cause  of  it.  But  where  the  patient  is  left  unas- 
sisted to  struggle  with  the  disease  until  his  strength  is  ex- 
hausted, and  more  especially  when  the  most  unnatural  and 
injurious  administrations  are  made,  if  a  recovery  is  possible, 
it  must  of  necessity  take  a  longer  time.  These  declarations 
are  true,  and  have  been  often  proved,  and  can  be  again,  to 


!   :U 


i-ji"'***'^* 


Ill 


\/:ii  Gf //)/•:  TO  hi:. 1 1.  Ill;  oh\ 


!'  f 


the  satisfaction  of  every  candid  person,  at  the  ha/.ard  of  an>- 
forfeiture  the  faculty  may  challenge. 

Notwithstanding  all  these  things,  how  true  are  the  words 
of  the  intelligent  Dr.  Her\'ey,  who  .says:  "  By  what  unac- 
countable per\'ersity  in  our  frame  does  it  appear  that  we  set 
ourselves  so  much  against  any  thing  that  is  new?  Can  any 
one  behold  without  scorn  .such  drones  of  physicians,  and 
after  the  space  of  so  many  hundred  years'  experience  and 
practice  of  their  predecessors,  not  one  single  medicine  has 
been  detected  that  has  the  least  force  directly  to  prevent,  to  op- 
pose, and  expel  a  continued  fever?  Should  any,  by  a  more 
.sedulous  obser\'ation,  pretend  to  make  the  least  step  towards 
the  discovery  of  .such  remedies,  their  hatred  and  envy  would 
.swell  again.st  him,  as  a  legion  of  devils  against  virtue;  the 
whole  society  will  dart  their  malice  at  him,  and  torture  him 
with  all  the  calumnies  imaginable,  without  sticking  at  any- 
thing that  should  destroy  him  root  and  branch.  For  he  who 
professes  to  be  a  reformer  of  the  art  of  physic,  must  resolve 
to  run  the  hazard  of  the  martyrdom  of  his  reputation,  life  and 
estate." 

The  treatment  which  the  writer  has  received  from  some 
of  the  learned  physicians  since  his  discovery  of  the  remedy 
for  the  fever,  and  various  other  diseases,  is  a  proof  of  the 
truth  of  this  last  saying  of  Dr.  Her\'ey.  They  have  impris- 
oned him,  and  charged  him  with  everything  cruel  and  un- 
just; though  upon  a  fair  trial,  their  violent  dealings  have 
come  down  upon  their  heads,  while  he  has  not  only  been 
proved  innocent  before  the  court,  but  useful,  having  relieved 
many  which  the  other  physicians  had  given  over  to  die. 

I  will  now  take  notice  of  the  yellow  fever.  The  cause  of 
this  fatal  disease  is  similar  to  the  spotted  fever.  The  cause 
of  death  in  the  latter  is  in  consequence  of  its  producing  a 
balance  by  cold,  outward  and  inward;  and  in  the  former 
there  is  a  balance  of  heat  outward  and  inward;  both  produce 
the  same  thing,  that  is,  a  total  cessation  of  motion,  which  is 
death.  The  color  of  the  skin  has  given  name  to  both  these 
diseases.  The  yellow  is  caused  by  the  obstruction  of  the 
gall;  instead  of  being  discharged  through  its  proper  vessels, 
it  is  forced  and  diffused  through  the  pores  of  the  skin.     The 


tl  of  any 

Je  words 
at  unac- 
t  we  set 
[^an  any 
lis,  and 
nee  and 
ine  has 
t,  to  op- 
'  a  more 
towards 
y  would 
ue;  the 
ire  him 
at  any- 
he  who 
resolve 
life  and 

n  some 
emedy 
f of  the 
impris- 
md  un- 
js  have 
ly  been 
elie\'ed 
ie. 

ause  of 
;  cause 
ring  a 
former 
roduce 
hich  is 
1  these 
of  the 
essels, 
The 


/iO r.lML •  lAMIl.  y  I'll)  S/Cf.  i\.  17 

same  effects  that  are  produced  by  these  two  fevers  nia\  be 
observed  in  the  motion  of  the  sea;  when  the  tide  is  done  run- 
ning up,  there  is  what  is  called  slack  water,  or  a  balance  of 
power;  and  the  same  thing  takes  place  when  it  is  done  run- 
ning down;  when  the  fountain  is  raised,  the  water  runs  from 
it;  but  when  it  is  lowered  the  water  runs  towards  it.  The 
same  cause  produces  the  same  effects  in  the  spotted  and  yel- 
low fevers;  for  when  a  balance  of  power  between  the  outward 
and  inward  heat  takes  place,  death  follows. 

Having  described  the  two  kinds  of  fever  which  are  the 
most  alarming,  they  being  most  facal,  I  shall  pass  over  those 
of  a  less  alarming  nature,  and  merely  oKserve  tliat  there  is 
no  other  difference  in  all  ca.ses  of  fever  than  what  is  cau.sed 
by  the  different  degrees  of  cold,  or  lo.ss  of  inward  heat,  which 
are  two  adverse  parties  in  one  body  contending  for  power. 
If  the  heat  gains  the  victory,  the  cold  will  be  disinherited, 
and  health  will  be  restored;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  if  cold 
gains  the  ascendency,  heat  will  be  dispo.ssessed  of  its  empire, 
and  death  will  follow  of  course.  As  soon  as  life  ceases,  the 
body  becomes  cold,  which  is  conclusive  evidence  that  its 
gaining  the  victory  is  the  cau.se  of  death.  When  the  power 
of  cold  is  nearly  equal  to  that  of  heat,  the  fever  or  strife  be- 
tween the  two  parties  may  continue  for  a  longer  or  shorter 
time,  according  to  circumstances;  this  is  what  is  called  along 
fever,  or  fever  and  ague.  The  battle  between  cold  and  heat 
will  take  place  periodically,  sometimes  every  day,  at  other 
times  every  other  day,  and  they  will  leave  off  about  equal, 
heat  keeping  a  little  the  upper  hand.  In  attempting  to  cure 
a  case  of  this  kind,  we  must  consider  whether  the  fever  is  a 
friend  or  an  enemy;  if  it  is  a  friend,  which  I  hold  to  be  the 
fact,  when  the  fever  fit  is  on,  increase  the  power  of  heat,  in 
order  to  drive  off  the  cold,  and  life  will  bear  the  rule;  but,  on 
the  contrary',  should  cold  be  considered  a  friend,  when  the 
cold  fit  is  on,  by  increasing  its  power,  you  drive  off  the  heat, 
and  death  must  ensue.  Thus  you  may  promote  life  or  death, 
by  tempering  cold  and  heat. 

Much  has  been  said  by  the  doctors  concerning  the  turn  of 
a  fever,  and  how  long  a  time  it  will  run.  V7'ien  it  is  said 
that  a  fever  will  turn  at  .such  a  time,  I  pre.sume  it  must  mean 


-trjsrss 


r 


TR 


AV;//    Clini:    TO  IIEAI.rH:  ON. 


I  ^ 


that  it  has  been  ko"^;  this  is  true,  for  it  is  thou  gone  on  the 
outside,  and  is  trying  to  turn  again  and  go  inside,  where  it 
belongs.  Instead  of  following  the  dictates  of  nature  and  aid- 
ing it  to  subdue  the  cold,  the  doctor  uses  all  his  skill  to  kill 
the  fever.  How,  I  would  ask,  in  the  name  of  conunon  sen.sc, 
can  any  thing  turn  when  killed  ?  .Supjiort  the  fever  and  it 
will  return  inside;  the  cold,  which  is  the  cause  of  disease, 
will  be  driven  out,  and  health  will  be  restored.  In  all  cases 
called  fever,  the  cause  is  the  same  in  a  greater  or  less  degree, 
and  may  be  relieved  by  one  general  remedy.  The  cold 
causes  canker,  and  l)efore  the  canker  is  seated,  the  strife  will 
take  place  between  cold  and  heat;  and  while  the  hot  flashes 
and  cold  chills  remain,  it  is  evidence  that  the  canker  is  not 
settled,  and  the  hot  medicine  alone,  occasionally  assisted  In- 
steam,  will  throw  it  off;  but  as  the  contest  cea.ses,  the  heat  is 
steady  on  the  outside;  then  canker  a.ssumes  the  power  inside; 
this  is  called  a  settled  fever.  The  truth  is,  the  canker  is 
fixed  on  the  inside  and  will  ripen  and  come  off  in  a  short 
time,  if  the  fever  is  kept  up  so  as  to  overpower  the  cold. 
This  idea  is  new  and  never  was  known  till  my  discoverj'. 
By  raising  the  fever  with  Nos.  i  and  2,  and  taking  off  the 
canker  with  No.  3,  and  the  same  given  by  injections,  we 
may  turn  a  fever  when  we  please;  but  if  this  is  not  under- 
stood, the  canker  will  ripen  and  come  off  itself,  when  the 
fever  will  turn  and  go  inside  and  the  cold  will  be  driven  out ; 
therefore  they  will  do  much  better  without  any  aid,  than  with 
a  doctor.  The  higher  the  fever  runs,  the  sooner  the  cold 
will  be  subdued;  and  if  you  contend  against  the  heat,  the 
longer  will  be  the  run  of  the  fever,  and  when  killed  death 

follows. 

When  a  patient  is  bled,  it  lessens  the  heat  and  gives  double 
power  to  the  cold;  like  taking  out  of  one  side  of  the  scale  and 
putting  it  in  the  other,  which  doubles  the  weight,  and  turns 
the  scale  in  favor  of  the  disease.  By  giving  opium  it  deadens 
the  feelings;  the  small  doses  of  nitre  and  calomel  tend  to  de- 
stroy what  heat  remains,  and  plant  new  crops  of  canker, 
which  will  stand  in  different  stages  in  the  body,  the  same  as 
corn  planted  in  the  field  every  week  will  keep  some  in  all 
stages;   so  are  the  different  degrees  in  canker.     This  is  the 


/lo'/.i.v/r /•'.iA///.y /'//ys/r/.ix.  w 

reason  why  there  art' so  niaiiy  difl'ereiit  fevers  as  are  tiamcd; 
when  one  fever  turns,  another  sets  in,  and  so  continues  one 
after  another  until  thehar\'est  is  all  ripe,  if  tlie  season  islon^; 
enough;  if  not,  the  cold  and  frost  take  them  off — then  it  is 
said  they  died  of  a  fever.  It  might  with  as  nnich  propriety 
be  said  that  the  corn  killed  with  frost  died  with  the  heat. 
The  question  whether  the  heat  or  cold  killed  the  patient,  is 
easily  decided,  for  that  power  which  bears  rule  in  the  l)od)- 
after  death  is  what  killed  the  patient,  which  is  cold;  as  much 
as  that  which  liears  rule  when  he  is  alive  is  heat.  When  a 
person  is  taken  sick,  it  is  conunon  to  say,  "I  have  got  a  cold, 
and  am  afraid  I  am  going  to  have  a  fever;"  but  no  fears  are 
expressed  of  the  cold  he  has  taken;  neither  is  it  mentioned 
when  the  cold  left  him.  The  fashionable  practice  is  to  fight 
the  remains  of  heat  till  the  patient  dies,  by  giving  cold  the 
victory;  in  which  case  is  it  not  a  fact  that  the  doctor  a.s.sists 
the  cold  to  kill  the  patient?  Would  it  not  have  been  more 
reasonable,  or  likely  to  have  cured  them,  when  the  fever 
arose  to  throw  off  the  cold,  to  have  helped  the  fever  and  give 
nature  the  victory  over  its  enemy,  when  the  health  would  l)e 
restored  the  same  as  before  they  took  the  cold? 

We  frequently  see  in  the  newspapers  accounts  of  people 
dying  in  consequence  of  drinking  cold  water  when  very  warm. 
Some  fall  dead  instantly,  and  others  linger  for  several  hours; 
the  doctors  have  not  been  able  to  afford  any  relief  when  called. 
The  principal  symptoms  are  chills,  and  shivering  with  cold, 
which  is  viewed  with  astonishment  by  those  who  witness  it. 
Proper  caution  should  always  be  observed  by  persons  when 
very  warm  and  thirsty,  who  go  to  a  pump  to  drink,  by  swal- 
lowing something  hot  before  drinking  the  water,  and  swal- 
lowing a  little  at  a  time,  which  will  prevent  any  fatal  effects. 

This  strange  circumstance  of  being  cold  on  a  hot  day,  and 
which  has  never  been  accounted  for  in  a  .satisfactory  manner 
to  the  public,  I  shall  endeavor  to  explain  in  as  comprehen- 
.sive  and  plain  language  as  I  am  capable.  The  component 
parts  of  animal  bodies  are  earth  and  water,  and  life  and  mo- 
tion are  caused  by  fire  and  air.  The  inward  heat  is  the 
fountain  of  life,  and  as  much  as  that  has  the  power  above  the 
outward  heat,  so  much  we  have  of  life  and  .strength,   and 


I 


I    >& 


,1    ..j 


»     <H 


r-''- 


•JO 


SEW  ai  ini:  TO  ///•;.//,///,  oh'. 


V  l(^ 


I'i  • 


wlifii  wx'  lose  this  power  nf  heat,  our  strength  and  faculties 
decay  in  proportion;  and  it  is  inimnterinl  whether  we  h)se 
this  power  by  h)siii)f  the  inward  heat  or  raising;  the  outward 
heat  alM)ve  it,  as  the  effect  is  the  same.  If  you  raise  the 
stream  level  with  the  fountain,  it  stops  the  current,  anil  all 
motion  will  cease;  and  the  same  effects  will  follow  by  lower- 
ing the  fimntain  to  a  level  with  the  stream.  When  the  out- 
ward heat  becomes  etpuil  with  the  inward,  either  by  the  ones 
being  raised,  or  the  others  being  lowered,  cold  as.sumes  the 
power,  and  death  takes  place. 

The  cause  of  the  fatal  effects  l)y  drinking  cold  water  is 
l)ecause  the  fountain  of  life  is  lost  by  the  stream  being  rai.sed 
above  the  fountain,  or  the  inward  heat  lowered  1)\  throwing 
into  the  stomach  so  largea()uantity  of  cold  water  as  to  give 
the  outward  heat  the  power  of  balancing  the  inward;  and  in 
proportion  as  the  one  approaches  to  an  equality  with  the 
other,  so  the  strength  is  diminished,  and  when  etpial  they 

die. 

I  shall  now  make  some  further  remarks  on  this  and  other 
subjects,  with  a  hope  that  it  ma>  be  beneficial  to  mankind. 
The  rea.son  wh>'  these  extraordinary  cases  api>ear  so  wonder- 
ful to  the  people,  is  because  they  are  unacquainted  with  the 
cause.  Why  should  we  wonder  at  n  person  being  cold  on  a 
hot  day,  when  we  are  not,  any  more  than  we  should  wonder 
at  another  for  being  hungry,  when  we  have  just  been  eating; 
or  that  others  can  be  in  paiti,  when  we  are  enjoying  good 
health?  The  one  is  as  plain  and  simple  as  the  other,  when  un- 
derstood. The  want  of  inward  heat  is  the  cause  of  their 
being  cold,  just  as  much  as  the  want  of  food  is  the  cause  of 
hunger,  or  the  want  of  health  is  the  cause  of  pjiin.  One 
person  may  have  lost  the  natural  power  of  heat  by  an  ef- 
fect which  others  in  similar  situations  may  not  have  expe- 
rienced, and  will  suffer  the  consequences  of  cold  in  propor- 
tion to  the  loss  of  inward  heat;  this  is  manifest  in  the  differ- 
ent degrees  of  sickness.  If  the  inward  heat  loses  its  balance 
of  power  suddenly,  death  is  immediate;  which  is  the  casein 
spotted  fever,  and  in  drowned  persons.  When  the  inward 
and  outward  cold  is  balanced,  life  ceases,  and  the  blood,  be- 
ing stopped  in  its  motion,  settles  in  spots,  which  appearance 


/!i>7:i.\/(  / .It///.}   rt/)s/ii.i.\.  31 

has  KJvcii  name  to  what  is  calk-d  sixnted  fevvr  The  saiiu 
appt-araiices  take  place  on  drowiiwl  |)ersous.  and  from  the 
same  cause. 

The  practice  of  hleedin>{  for  the  purpose  «>f  ».nrhi)bf  disease, 
I  consider  most  unnatural  and  injurious.  Nature  never  fur- 
nishes the  1«h1>-  with  more  hlocxl  than  is  neces.sxiry  for  the 
maintenance  of  health;  to  takeaway  part  of  the  blood,  there- 
fore, is  takinjfaway  just  so  nuicli  of  their  life,  and  is  as  con- 
trary to  nature  as  it  wouhl  he  to  cut  away  part  of  their  flesh. 
Many  experiments  have  Iwen  tried  by  the  use  of  the  lancet  in 
fevers;  hut  [  believe  it  will  be  allowed  by  all,  that  mo.st  of 
them  have  proved  fatal;  and  several  eminent  physicians  have 
died  in  consequence  of  trying  the  experiment  on  themselves. 
If  the  .system  is  di.seased,  the  blcnxl  becomes  as  nmch  dis- 
eased as  any  other  part;  remove  the  cause  of thetlisorder, 
and  the  blood  will  recover  and  become  healthy  as  soon  as  any 
otlier  part;  but  how  taking  part  of  it  away  can  help  to  cure 
what  remains,  can  never  be  reconciled  with  common  .sen.se. 

There  is  no  practice  used  by  the  physicians  that  I  coji- 
sider  more  inconsistent  with  ccmunon  sense,  and  at  the  same 
time  more  inhuman,  than  blLstering  to  remove  disease;  jnir- 
ticularly  in.sane  persons,  or  what  the  doctors  call  dropsj-  on 
the  brain;  in  which  case  they  shave  the  head  and  draw  a  blis- 
ter on  it.  Very  few  patients,  if  any,  ever  survive  this  appli- 
cation. What  would  be  tlK)UKht  if  a  scald  should  Ik;  cau.sed 
by  boilinjj  water  to  remove  disea.se?  Yet  there  is  no  differ- 
ence between  this  and  a  blister  made  by  flies.  I  have  wit- 
nes.sed  many  in.stances  where  great  distress  and  very  bad  ef- 
fects have  been  caused  by  the  use  of  blisters;  and  believe  I 
can  truly  .say  that  I  never  knew  any  l>enefit  derived  from 
their  use.  It  very  frequently  cau.ses  .stiangury,  when  the 
attempted  remedy  becomes  much  worse  than  the  disease. 

In  support  of  my  opinions  on  the  subject,  I  will  give  the 
following  extract  from  the  writings  of  Dr.  Hillary,  an  eminent 
physician  of  T.^)ndon ; 

"  I  have  long  observed  that  blisters  are  too  frequently, 
and  too  often  improperly,  used,  as  they  are  now  so  much  in 
fashion.  It  is  ver>-  probable  that  we  have  no  one  remedy  hi 
all  the  Materia   Medica   that   is  so   frequently,  and  .so  often 


I 


I'  m 


i   t 


I  '^ 


.]M 


22 


NEW  a  (IDE  71)  IIEAI/rH;  OR, 


improperly,  applied,  not  only  in  too  many  cases  where  thej- 
cannot  possiHy  give  any  relief,  but  too  often  where  they  must 
unavoidablj'  increase  the  very  evil  which  they  are  intended 
to  remove  or  relieve.  How  often  do  we  see  them  applied, 
and  sometimes  se\cral  of  thetn,  by  pretended  dabblers  in 
physic,  not  only  where  there  are  no  indications  for  applying 
them,  but  where  the  true  indications  are  against  their  applica- 
tion; as  in  the  beginning  of  most  fevers,  and  especially  those 
of  the  inflannnator>-  and  of  the  putrid  kind,  where,  in  the 
first,  the  stimulous  of  the  acrid  salts  of  the  canthart'des,  which 
pass  into  the  blood,  must  unavoidably  increase  both  the 
stimulous  and  the  momentum  of  the  blood,  which  were  too 
great  before,  and  so  render  the  fever  inflammatory,  and  all 
its  symptoms  worse. 

"  And  it  is  well  known  that  the  cantharides  contain  a 
great  quantity  of  alkaline  semi-volatile  salts,  which  pass  into 
the  blood,  though  they  are  applied  externally;  and  attenuate, 
dissolve,  and  hasten,  and  increase  its  putrefaction,  which  is 
also  confirmed  by  the  putrid  alkaline  acrimony  which  the\- 
produce  in  the  urine,  with  the  heat  and  strangury,  which  it 
gives  to  the  urinary  passage. ' ' 


ON  STEAMING. 


Steiaming  is  a  very  important  branch  of  mj'  sjstem  of 
practic?,  which  would  in  many  cases  without  it  be  insuffi- 
cient to  effect  a  cure.  It  is  of  great  importance  in  many 
cases,  but  considered  by  the  medical  faculty  as  desperate; 
and  they  would  be  so  under  my  mode  of  treatment,  if  it  was 
not  for  this  manner  of  applying  heat  to  the  body,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  reanimating  the  system  and  aiding  nature  in  restor- 
ing health.  I  had  but  little  knowledge  of  medicine  when, 
through  necessity,  I  discovered  the  u.se  of  steaming  to  add 
heat  or  life  to  the  decaying  spark;  and  with  it  I  was  enabled, 
by  administering  such  vegetable  preparations  as  I  then  had 
a  knowledge  of,  to  effect  a  cure  in  ca.ses  where  the  regular 
practitioners  had  given  them  over. 

In  all  cases  where  the  heat  of  the  body  is  so  far  exhausted 
as  not   to  \^  rekindled  by   using  the  medicine  and  being 


nOTA.VIC  l-\  i.MIL  y  rHYSICIAN. 


23 


shielded  from  the  surrounding  air  by  a  blanket,  or  being  in 
bed,  and  chills  or  stupor  attend  the  patient,  then  applied 
heat  by  steaming  becomes  indispejisably  necessary;  and 
heat  caused  by  steam  in  the  manner  that  I  use  it  is  more 
natural  in  producing  perspiration  than  any  dry  heat  that  can 
be  applied  to  the  body  in  any  other  manner,  which  will  only 
serve  to  dry  the  air  and  prevent  perspiration  in  many  cases 
of  disease,  where  a  steam  by  water  or  vinegar  would  promote 
it  and  add  a  natural  warmth  to  the  body ,  and  thereby  increase 
the  life  and  motion  which  have  lain  silent  in  consequence  of 
the  cold.  •      ' 

Dr.  Jennings  has  contrived  a  plan  to  apply  heat  to  the 
body  by  a  dry  vapor,  caused  by  burning  spirit,  which  he  calls 
a  vapor  bath,  the  idea  of  vvhich  was,  I  have  no  doubt,  taken 
from  liearing  of  my  steaming  to  raise  the  heat  of  the  body. 
It  may  answer  in  some  cases  and  stages  ofdisea.se;  but  in  a 
.settled  fever,  and  other  ca.ses  where  there  is  a  dry  inflamma- 
tion on  the  .surface  of  the  body,  it  will  not  answer  any  good 
purpose,  and  I  think  would  be  dangerous  without  the  use  of 
my  medicine  to  first  rai.se  a  free  perspiration;  for  when  the 
surface  of  the  body  is  dry,  the  patient  cannot  bear  it,  as  it  will 
crowd  to  the  head  and  cause  distress,  the  same  as  is  pro- 
duced by  burning  charcoal,  or  from  hot  stoves  in  a  tight 
room,  and  will  bring  on  a  difficulty  in  breathing,  which  is 
not  the  ca.se  in  steaming  my  way.  This  machine  can  only 
be  used  in  bed,  where  the  vapor  cannot  be  applied  to  the  body 
equally  at  the  same  time,  therefore  is  no  better  than  a  hot 
dry  stone  put  on  each  side  and  to  the  feet  of  the  patient,  for 
he  can  turn  himself  and  get  heat  from  them  as  well  as  to  have 
all  the  trouble  of  burning  spirit  and  turning  to  the  vapor  of 
it  to  get  warm  by  this  dry  heat.  When  the  patient  .stands 
over  a  steam  raised  by  putting  a  hot  .stone  in  water,  which 
gives  a  more  equal  heat  all  over  the  body  than  can  be  done 
in  any  other  manner,  it  can  be  raised  higher,  and  may  be 
tempered  at  pleasure  bj'  wetting  the  face  and  stomach  with 
cold  water  as  occasion  requires. 

The  method  adopted  by  me,  and  which  has  always  an- 
swered the  desired  object,  is  as  follows:  Take  several  stones 
of  different  .sizes  and  put  them  in  the  fire  till  red  hot;  then 


\.  fiS 


h-a 


24 


x/iir  (;f  ■//)/■:  to  health;  or. 


:r  r 


take  the  smallest  first,  and  put  one  of  them  into  a  pan  or 
kettle  of  hot  water,  with  the  stone  about  half  immersed;  the 
patient  must  be  undressed  and  a  blanket  put  around  him  so 
as  to  shield  his  whole  body  from  the  air,  and  then  place  him 
over  the  steam.  Change  the  stones  as  often  as  they  grow 
cool,  so  as  to  keep  up  a  lively  steam,  and  keep  them  over  it; 
if  they  are  faint,  throw  a  little  cold  water  on  the  face  and 
stomach,  which  will  let  down  the  outward  heat  and  restore 
the  strength ;  after  the\-  have  been  over  the  steam  long 
enough,  which  will  generally  be  about  fifteen  or  twenty 
minutes,  they  must  be  washed  all  over  with  cold  water  or 
spirit,  and  be  put  in  bed,  or  may  be  dressed,  as  the  circum- 
stances of  the  case  shall  permit.  Before  they  are  placed  over 
the  steam,  give  a  dose  of  Nos.  2  and  3,  or  composition,  to 
rai.se  the  inward  heat.  When  the  patient  is  too  weak  to 
stand  over  the  steam,  it  may  be  done  in  bed,  by  heating 
three  .stones  and  putting  them  in  water  till  done  hissing;  then 
wrap  them  in  a  number  of  thicknesses  of  cloths  wet  with  wa- 
ter, and  put  one  on  each  .side  and  one  at  the  feet,  occasionally 
wetting  the  face  and  stomach  with  cold  water,  when  faint. 

Manj'  other  plans  ma\-  lie  contrived  in  steaming  which 
would  make  less  trouble  and  be  more  agreeable  to  the  pa- 
tient, especialh-  where  they  are  unable  to  stand  over  the 
steam .  An  open  worked  chair  may  be  made,  in  which  they 
mights-it  and  be  steamed  very  conveniently;  or  a  settee  might 
be  made  in  the  same  manner,  in  which  they  might  be  laid 
and  covered  with  blankets  so  as  to  shield  them  from  the  sur- 
rounding air.  Such  contrivances  as  these  would  be  very 
convenient  in  cases  where  the  patient  would  have  to  be  car- 
ried through  a  course  of  medicine  and  steamed  a  number  of 
times,  as  is  frequently  neces.sar>-,  particularly  in  complaints 
that  have  been  of  long  standing. 

As  I  have  frequently  mentioned  a  regular  course  of  med- 
icine, I  will  here  state  what  is  meant  by  it,  and  the  most 
proper  way  in  which  it  is  performed .  Firstly,  give  Nos.  2 
and  3,  or  compo.sition,  adding  a  teaspoonful  of  No.  6;  then 
steam,  and  when  in  bed  repeat  it,  adding  No.  i,  which  will 
cleanse  the  stomach  and  ai  ist  in  keeping  up  a  perspiration; 
when  this  has  done  operating,  give  an  injection  made  with 


1 


nOTAMC  FAMll.  Y   niYSICl.  I.V. 


•>r> 


the  same  articles.  Where  there  are  symptoms  of  nervous 
affection,  or  spasms,  put  half  a  teaspoonful  of  the  nerve  pow- 
der into  each  dose  given,  and  into  the  injection.  In  violent 
cases,  where  immediate  relief  is  needed,  Nos.  i,  2,  3  and  6 
may  be  gi\'en  together.  Injections  may  be  administered  at 
all  times,  and  in  all  cases  of  disease,  to  advantage;  it  can 
never  do  harm,  and  in  many  ca.ses  they  are  indispensablj- 
necessary,  especially  where  there  is  canker  and  inflammation 
in  the  bowels,  and  there  is  danger  of  mortification,  in  which 
case,  add  a  teaspoonful  of  No.  6.  In  cases  of  this  kind,  the 
injection  should  be  given  first,  or  at  the  .same  time  of  giving 
the  composition,  or  No.  3.     The  latter  i.s  preferable. 

The  u.se  of  steaming  is  good  in  preventing  sickness,  as 
well  as  curing  it.  When  a  person  has  been  exposed  to  the 
cold,  and  is  threatened  with  disease,  it  may  be  prevented, 
and  long  sickness  and  expense  saved,  by  a  very  little  trouble, 
by  standing  over  a  steam  and  following  the  directions  before 
given  till  the  cold  is  thoroughly  thrown  off,  and  a  lively  per- 
spiration takes  place;  then  go  to  bed,  taking  the  stone  from 
the  kettle,  and  wrap  it  in  wet  cloths,  and  put  it  to  the  feet. 
This  may  be  done  without  the  medicine,  when  it  cannot  be 
had;  but  it  is  much  better  to  take  something  to  raise  the  in- 
ward heat  at  the  same  time.  A  tea  made  of  mayweed  or 
summer-savorj-,  or  ginger  and  hot  water  sweetened,  may  be 
given,  or  anything  that  is  wanning.  This  advice  is  for  the 
poor,  a/id  tho.se  who  have  not  a  knowledge  of  the  medicine; 
and  will  many  times  save  them  much  trouble  and  long 
.sickness. 

Steaming  is  of  the  utmost  importance  in  cases  of  sus- 
pended animation,  such  as  drowned  persons;  in  which  case, 
place  the  body  over  a  moderate  steam,  shielded  by  a  blanket 
from  the  weight  of  the  external  air,  and  rarifying  the  air 
immediately  around  them  with  the  steam.  Pour  into  the 
mouth  some  of  the  tincture  of  Nos.  i,  2  and  6;  and  if  there 
is  any  internal  heat  remains,  there  will  be  mu.scular  motion 
about  the  eyes,  and  in  the  extremities.  If  this  symptom  ap- 
pears, repeat  the  dose  several  times,  and  renew  the  hot 
stones,  raising  the  heat  by  degrees;  if  the  outward  heat  is 
raised  too  .sudden,  so  as  to  balance  the  inward,  you  will  fail 


11 
Ifi 


i 


i 


if  iii 


-i^ 


•  !mi(mm  umSt'Aik*miii:\%t»tmJ,i 


f ' 


I' 


2«  y/tif  GriDIi   TO  HliAl.ni;  ON, 

of  the  desired  object  even  after  life  appears.  This  is  the  onlj- 
danger  of  any  difficulty  taking  place;  always  bear  in  mind  to 
keep  the  fountain  above  the  stream,  or  the  inward  heat  above 
the  outward,  and  all  will  be  safe.  After  life  is  restored,  put 
them  in  bed  and  keep  the  perspiration  free  for  twelve  hours, 
by  hot  stones  wrapped  in  cloths  wet  with  water,  and  occas- 
ionally giving  the  tincture  as  before  mentioned,  when  the 
coldness  and  obstructions  are  thrown  oflF,  and  the  patient  will 
be  in  the  enjoyment  of  his  natural  strength.  Beware  of 
bleeding,  or  blowing  in  the  mouth  with  a  bellows,  as  either 
will  generally  prove  fatal. 

In  many  ca.ses  of  spotted  fever,  steaming  is  as  necessar\- 
as  in  drowned  persons;  such  as  when  they  fall  apparently 
dead;  then  the  same  treatment  is  nece.s.sary  to  lighten  the 
surrounding  air  till  you  can  rai.se  the  inward  heat  so  as  to 
get  the  determining  power  to  the  surface.  Begin  with  a 
small  stone,  and  as  life  gains,  increase  the  steam  as  the  pa- 
tient can  bear  it;  if  the  distress  is  great,  give  more  hot  medi- 
cine inside,  and  as  .soon  as  an  equilibrium  takes  place  the 
pain  will  cea.se.  In  all  cases  of  this  kind,  the  difficulty  can- 
not be  removed  without  applied  heat  to  the  body,  and  is  more 
natural  by  steam  than  by  any  other  means  that  can  be  made 
use  of.  In  cases  of  long  standing,  where  the  patient  has  been 
run  down  with  mercury,  and  left  in  a  cold  and  obstructed 
.state,  liable  to  rheumatism  and  other  similar  complaints, 
they  cannot  be  cured  with  medicine  without  applied  heat  by 
steam,  as  nothing  will  remove  mercury  but  heat. 

When  a  patient  is  carried  through  a  course  of  my  medi- 
cine and  steamed,  who  has  been  long  under  mercurial  treat- 
ment; and  while  under  the  operation  of  the  steam,  when  the 
heat  is  at  the  highest,  the  face  will  swell,  in  consequence  of 
the  poisonous  vapor  being  condensed  by  the  air,  the  face  be- 
ing open  to  it.  To  relieve  this,  put  them  in  bed,  and  take  a 
hot  stone  wrapped  in  several  thicknesses  of  cloth  wet  with 
water,  pouring  on  a  little  vinegar,  and  making  a  lively  steam; 
put  it  in  the  bed  and  cover  the  head  with  the  clothes  and  let 
them  breathe  the  steam  as  hot  as  can  be  borne,  until  the 
sweat  covers  the  swelled  part.  This  will  in  about  fifteen  or 
twenty  minutes  throw  out  the  poison,  and  the  swelling  will 


/.'0/:i.\7c /:ij///.}  /'Hvs/c/.iN.  •>-, 

abate.  This  method  also  is  of  great  service  in  agues  and 
teethache  caused  by  cold;  and  many  other  cases  of  obstruc- 
tion from  the  same  cause,  especially  young  children  stuffed 
on  the  lungs. 

To  steam  small  children,  the  best  way  is  to  let  them  sit 
in  the  lap  of  a  person,  covering  both  with  a  blanket,  and  sit 
over  the  steam,  pouring  a  little  vinegar  on  the  .stone;  or  it 
may  be  done  in  bed  with  a  hot  stone,  wrapped  in  cloths  wet 
with  water,  putting  on  a  little  vinegar,  and  covering  them 
with  the  bedclothes  laid  loosely  over  them;  but  in  this  way 
you  cannot  exercise  .so  good  judgment  in  tempering  the 
.steam  as  when  you  are  .steamed  with  them.  If  the  child 
appears  languid  and  faint,  the  outward  heat  is  high  enough; 
put  a  little  cold  water  on  the  face  or  brea.st,  which  will  re- 
store the  strength,  then  rub  them  with  a  cloth  wet  with  vin- 
egar, spirit  or  cold  water,  put  on  clean  clothes,  and  put  them 
in  bed,  or  let  them  .sit  up,  as  their  strength  will  permit.  This 
is  .safe  in  all  cases  of  cold  and  obstructed  perspiration.  It 
ought  always  to  be  borne  strongly  in  mind  to  give  a  child 
drink  often  when  under  the  operation  of  medicine,  or  while 
.steaming;  if  this  is  not  done,  they  will  .suifer  much,  as  they 
cannot  ask  for  it. 

In  all  cases  of  falls  or  bruises,  steaming  is  almost  in- 
fallible; and  is  much  better  than  bleeding,  as  is  the  common 
practice,  which  only  tends  to  destroy  life  instead  of  promot- 
ing it.  If  the  person  is  not  able  to  stand  over  the  steam,  it 
must  be  done  in  bed,  as  has  been  described.  Give  the  hot- 
test medicine  inside  that  you  have,  and  keep  the  perspira- 
tion free  till  the  pain  and  soreness  abate  and  the  strength 
will  be  soon  restored.  If  the  advantages  of  this  mode  ot 
treatment  was  generally  known,  bleeding  in  such  cases,  or 
any  other,  to  remove  disease  would  never  be  resorted  to  by 
the  wise  and  prudent. 

The  use  of  steaming  is  to  apply  heat  to  the  body  where  it 
is  deficient,  and  clear  off  obstructions  caused  by  cold,  which 
the  operation  of  the  medicine  will  not  raise  heat  enough  to 
do;  for  as  the  natural  heat  of  the  body  becomes  thereby  lower 
than  the  natural  state  of  health,  it  must  by  art  be  raised  as 
much  above  as  it  has  been  below;  and  this  must  be  repeated 


.-     I 


r     li 


V  I 


)■      !; 


li:     ! 


iiSaeii..--- 


M 


I 


2« 


yiiir  (.(//)/•:  ro  iieai.th;  or. 


until  the  digestive  powers  are  restored  sufficient  to  hold  the 
heat  by  digesting  the  food ;  then  the  liealth  of  the  patient 
will  be  restored  by  eating  and  drinking  such  things  as  the 
appetite  shall  require.  In  this  way  the  medicine  remo\'es 
disease,  and  food,  by  being  properly  digestetl,  supports  na- 
ture and  continues  that  heat  on  which  life  depends 

Some  who  practice  according  to  my  system  boast  of  car- 
rying their  patients  through  in  a  shorter  time  without  the 
trouble  of  steaming.  This  is  easily  accounted  for;  .steaming  is 
the  most  laborious  part  of  the  practice  for  those  who  attend 
upon  the  sick,  and  the  most  useful  to  the  patient,  as  one  op- 
eration of  steaming  will  be  more  effectual  in  removing  dis- 
ease than  four  cou'-ses  without  it;  and  to  omit  it  is  throw- 
ing the  labor  upon  the  patient,  with  the  expen.se  of  three  or 
four  operations  more  of  the  medicine  than  would  be  needed 
did  the  person  who  attends  do  his  duty  faithfully.       "^ 

ON  GIVING  POISON  AS  MEDICINE. 

The  practice  of  jfiving  poison  as  medicine,  which  is  so 
common  among  the  medical  faculty  at  the  present  day,  is  6t 
the  utmost  importance  to  the  public;  and  is  a  subject  that  I 
wish  to  bring  home  to  the  .serious  consideration  of  the  whole 
bod}'  of  the  people  of  this  country,  and  enforce  in  the  strong- 
est manner  on  their  minds  the  pernicious  consequences  that 
have  happened,  and  are  daily  taking  place,  by  reason  of  giv- 
ing mercury,  arsenic,  nitre,  opium  and  other  deadly  poisons 
to  cure  disease.  It  is  admitted  by  those  who  make  use  of 
these  things,  that  the  introducing  them  into  the  sy.stem  is 
verj'  dangerous,  and  that  they  often  prove  fatal.  During 
thirty  years'  practice  I  have  had  opportunity  to  gain  much 
experience  on  this  .subject,  and  am  ready  to  declare  that  I 
am  perfectly  and  decidedly  convinced,  beyond  all  doubt,  that 
there  can  be  no  possible  good  derived  from  using,  in  any 
manner  or  form  whatever,  those  poisons;  but,  on  the  other 
hand,  there  is  a  great  deal  of  hurt  done.  More  than  nine- 
tenths  of  the  chronic  cases  that  have  come  under  my  care 
have  been  such  as  had  been  run  down  with  some  one  or  the 
whole  of  the  a1x)ve-named  medical  poisons;  and  the  greatest 


liOTA.MC  I'AMIl.  y  PHYSICIAS. 


2R 


difficulty  I  have  had  to  encounter  in  removing  the  complaints 
which  my  patients  labored  under  has  been  to  clear  the  sys- 
tem of  mercur>',  nitre,  or  opium,  and  bring  them  back  to  the 
same  state  they  were  in  before  taking  them.  It  is  a  very 
easy  thing  to  get  them  into  the  system,  but  very  hard  to  get 
them  out  again. 

Those  who  make  use  of  these  things  a.s  medicine  seem 
to  cloak  the  administering  them  under  the  .specious  pretence 
of  great  skill  and  art  in  preparing  and  u.siiig  them ;  but  this 
kind  of  covering  will  not  blind  the  people  if  they  would  ex- 
amine it  and  think  for  themselves,  instead  of  believing  that 
everything  said  or  done  by  a  learned  man  must  be  right;  for 
poison  given  to  the  sick  by  a  person  of  the  greatest  skill  will 
have  exactly  the  same  effect  as  it  would  if  given  by  a  fool. 
The  fact  is,  the  operation  of  it  is  diametricallv  opposed  to 
nature,  and  every  particle  of  it  that  is  taken  into  the  sys- 
tem will  strengthen  the  power  of  the  enemy  to  health. 

If  there  should  be  doubts  in  the  minds  of  any  one  of  the 
truth  of  what  I  have  said  concerning  the  articles  I  have 
named  as  being  poisonous  and  destrttctive  to  the  constitution 
and  health  of  man,  I  will  refer  them  to  the  works  published 
by  those  who  recommend  their  use;  where  they  will  find  ev- 
idence enough  to  satisfy  the  most  credulous  of  the  danger- 
ous consequences  and  fatal  effects  of  giving  them  as  medi- 
cine. To  remove  all  doubts  of  their  being  poison,  I  will  make 
a  few  extracts  from  standard  medical  works,  as  the  be.st 
testimony  that  can  be  given  in  the  case: 

' '  Muriate  of  Mercury  is  one  of  the  most  violent  poisons 
with  which  we  are  acquainted.  Externally,  it  acts  as  an 
escharotic  or  a  caustic;  and  in  solution  it  is  used  for  de- 
stroying fungous  flesh,  and  for  removing  hepatic  eruptions; 
but  even  externally  it  must  be  u.sed  with  very  great  caution." 
Yet,  reader,  this  active  poi.son  is  used  as  medicine,  and  by 
being  prepared  in  a  different  form,  and  a  new  name  given  it, 
calomel,  its  good  qualities  are  said  to  be  invaluable,  and  a 
certain  cure  for  almost  every  disease. 

"  Oxyd  of  Arsenic  is  one  of  the  most  sudden  and  violent 
poisons  we  are  acquainted  with.  In  mines,  it  causes  the 
destruction  of  numbers  of  those  who  explore  them,  and  it  is 


^  I 


T 


i 


h 


I 


m 


\/:  II  (;/■//)/■:  ro  iii:.\lih:  oh\ 


frequently  the  instrument  by  which  victims  are  sacrificed, 
either  by  the  hand  of  wickedness  or  imprudence.  The  fumes 
of  arsenic  are  so  deleterious  to  the  huigs,  that  the  artist 
ought  to  be  on  his  guard  to  prevent  their  exhalation  by  the 
mouth;  for  if  they  !)e  mixed  and  swallowed  with  the  saliva. 
eflFects  will  take  place  similar  to  those  which  follow  its  intro- 
duction into  the  stomach  in  a  saline  state:  namel)-.  a  sensa- 
tion of  a  piercing,  gnawing,  and  burning  kind,  accompanied 
with  an  acute  pain  in  the  stomach  and  intestines,  which  last 
are  violently  contorted;  convulsive  vomiting;  insatiable 
thirst,  from  the  parched  and  rough  state  of  the  tongue  and 
throat;  hiccough,  palpitation  of  the  heart  and  a  deadly  op- 
pression of  the  whole  breast  succeed  next;  the  matter  ejected 
by  the  mouth,  as  well  as  the  stools,  exhibits  a  black,  foetid, 
and  putrid  appearance.  At  length,  with  the  mortification  of 
the  bowels,  the  pain  subsides,  and  death  terminates  the  suf- 
ferings of  the  patient."  "When  the  quantity  is  so  very 
small  as  not  to  prove  fatal,  tremors,  paraly.sis  and  lingering 
hectics  succeed." 

Notwithstanding  this  terrible  description  of  the  fatal  ef- 
fects of  this  article,  the  author  says:  "  Though  the  most  vi- 
olent of  mineral  poisons,  arsenic,  according  to  Murray,  equals, 
when  properly  administered,  the  first  medicines  in  the  class 
of  tonics."  "Of  all  the  diseases,"  says  Dr.  Duncan,  "in 
which  White  Oxyd  of  Arsenic  has  been  used  internally, 
there  is  none  in  which  it  has  been  .so  frequently  and  so  suc- 
cessfully employed  as  in  the  cure  of  intermittent  fevers. 
We  have  now  the  most  satisfactory  information  concerning 
this  article  in  the  Medical  Reports,  of  the  effects  of  arsenic 
in  the  cure  of  agues,  remitting  fevers,  and  periodical  head- 
aches, by  Dr.  Fowler,  of  Stafford. ' '  Such  are  the  powers  of 
this  medicine,  that  two  grains  of  it  are  often  sufficient  to  cure 
an  intermittent  that  has  continued  for  weeks!  As  an  ex- 
ternal remedy,  arsenic  has  long  been  known  as  the  ba.sis  of 
the  celebrated  caticer  powders:  "Arsenic  has  ever  been  ap- 
plied in  substance,  .sprinkled  upon  the  ulcer;  but  this  mode 
of  using  it  is  exceedingly  painful,  and  extremely  dangerous. 
There  have  been  fatal  effects  produced  from  its  absorption." 
No  other  escharotic  possesses  equal  powers  in  cancerous  af- 


/!()r.L\/c  r.iM//.)-  /'/ivs/c/.ix.  ai 

fectioiis;  it  not  infrequently  amends  the  discharge,  causes  the 
sore  to  contract  in  size,  and  cases  have  been  rchited  of  its 
Jiavinj^  effected  a  cure."  "  But,"  says  Dr.  WiUich,  "  we  are, 
on  the  combined  testimony  of  many  medical  practitioners, 
conspicuous  for  their  professional  zeal  and  integrity,  irresist- 
ibly induced  to  declare  our  opinion,  at  lea.st,  against  the  in- 
ternal u.se  of  this  .ictivc  and  dangerous  medicine." 

I  shall  leave  it  to  the  reader  to  reconcile,  if  he  can,  the 
inconsistencies  and  absurdities  of  the  above  statements  of 
the  effects  of  ratsbane;  and  ask  himself  the  question,  whether 
it  can  be  po.ssible  for  an.  article,  the  u.se  of  which  is  attended 
with  such  con.sequences,  to  lie  in  any  shape  or  form  proper 
to  be  used  as  medicine;  yet  it  is  a  well-known  fact,  that  this 
poison  is  in  constant  u.se  among  the  faculty,  and  forms  the 
principal  ingredient  in  most  of  those  nostrums  .sold  through- 
out the  country  under  the  names  of  drops,  powders,  washes, 
balsams,  etc.,  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  thou.sands 
either  die  or  become  miserable  invalids  in  consequence. 

'Wnlimouy,  in  the  modern  nomenclature,  is  the  name 
given  to  a  peculiar  metal.  The  antimonial  metal  is  a  medi- 
cine of  the  greate.st  power  of  ar.y  known  substance;  a  quan- 
tity too  minute  to  be  sensible  in  the  most  delicate  balance  is 
capable  of  producing  violent  effects  if  taken  dissolved,  or  in 
a  .soluble  state. "  "  Sulphureted  antimony  was  employed  by 
the  ancients  in  CoUyria  against  inflammation  of  the  eyes, 
and  for  .staining  the  eyebrows  black.  Its  internal  use  does 
not  seem  to  have  been  established  till  the  end  of  the  fifteenth 
century;  and  even  at  that  time  it  was  by  many  looked  upon 
as  poisonous. "  "All  the  metallic  preparations  are  uncertain, 
as  it  entirely  depends  on  the  state  of  the  stomach  whether 
they  have  no  action  at  all,  or  operate  with  dangerous  vio- 
lence. "  "  The  principal  general  medicinal  application  of 
antimony  has  been  for  the  u.se  of  febrile  affections. "  "In  the 
latter  stage  of  fever,  where  debility  prevails,  its  use  is  inad- 
missible." Of  the  propriety  of  using  this  metal  as  medi- 
cine, I  shall  leave  it  to  the  reader  to  judge  for  himself. 

''Nitre — Salt-Petre.  This  salt,  consisting  of  nitric  acid 
and  potash,  is  found  ready  formed  on  the  .surface  of  the  .soil 
in  warm  climates. "     "  Purified  nitre  is  prescribed  with  ad- 


•mmmmm 


I 


ill 


\ 


82  A'A/r  (.f //)/■:  TO  Hl'lAl.TH;  OR, 

vantage  in  'unnerons  disorders.  Its  virtues  are  those  of  a 
refrigerent  and  dinretic.  It  is  usuall)-  given  in  doses  from 
two  to  three  grains  to  a  scruple,  being  a  very  cooHng  and 
resolvent  medicine,  which  by  relaxing  the  spasnuxlic  rigidity 
of  the  vessels,  promotes  not  only  the  secretion  of  urine,  but 
^  at  the  same  time  insensible  jwrspiration  in  febrile  disorders; 
while  it  allays  thirst  and  abates  heat;  though  in  malignant 
cases,  in  which  the  pulse  is  low,  and  the  patient's  strength 
exhausted,  it  produces  contrary  effects."  "This  powerful 
salt,  when  inadvertently  taken  in  too  large  quantities,  is  one 
of  the  most  fatal  poisons. ' '  For  .some  interesting  observa- 
tions relative  to  the  deleterious  properties  of  salt-petre,  the 
reader  is  referred  to  Dr.  Mitchell's  letter  to  Dr.  Priestly. 

I  have  found  from  a  series  of  practical  experiments  for 
many  years,  that  salt-petre  has  the  most  certain  and  deadly 
effects  upon  the  human  system  of  any  drug  that  is  u.sed  as 
medicine.  Although  the  effects  produced  by  it  are  not  so 
immediately  fatal  as  many  others,  yet  its  whole  tendency  is 
to  counteract  the  principles  of  life,  and  destroy  the  operation 
of  nature.  Experience  has  taught  me  that  it  is  the  most 
powerful  enemy  to  health,  and  that  it  is  the  most  difficult 
opponent  to  encounter,  with  any  degree  of  success,  that  I 
have  ever  met  with.  Being  in  its  nature  cold,  there  cannot 
be  any  other  effects  produced  by  it  than  to  increase  the 
power  of  that  enejny  of  heat,  and  to  les.sen  its  necessary  in- 
flixence. 

"■opium,  when  taken  into  the  .stomach  to  such  an  extent 
as  to  have  any  sensible  effect,  gives  rise  to  a  pleasant  seren- 
ity of  the  mind,  in  general  proceeding  to  a  certain  degree  of 
languor  and  drowsiness.  "  "It  excites  thirst  and  renders 
the  mouth  dry  and  parched."  "  Taken  into  the  stomach  in 
a  larger  dose,  gives  rise  to  confu.sion  of  the  head  and  verti- 
go. The  powers  of  all  stimulating  causes  of  making  im- 
pressions on  the  body  are  diminished ;  and  even  at  times  and 
in  situations  when  a  person  would  naturally  be  awake,  sleep 
is  irresistibly  induced.  In  still  larger  doses,  it  acts  in  the 
same  manner  as  the  narcotic  poisons,  giving  ri.se  to  vertigo, 
headache,  tremors,  delirium  and  convulsions;  and  these 
terminating  in  a  state  ef  stupor,  from  which  the  person  can- 


I'    T      liiiil  I     1|- 


/••(>/.i.\7(  /-.i.w//.)  /•//i.s/c/.i.\.  m 

not  be  amused.     Tliis  stupor  is  acconjpauied   with  siowuess 
of  the  pulse,  and  with  stertor  in  hreathinjf ,  atid  the  scene  is 
terminated  in  death,  attended  with  the  same  ai)pearances  as 
take  place  in  an  apixiplexy. ' '     "In  intermittents  it  is  said  to 
have  been  used  with  K"od  effect.  "      "  [t  is  often  of  very  ^jreat 
service  in  fevers  of  the  typhoid  type. ' '     "In  smallpox,  when 
the  convul.sions  before  eruption  are  frequent  and  considera- 
ble, opium  is  liberally  u.sed."     "  In  cholera  and  pyrosis,    it 
is  almo.st  the  only  thing  tru.sted  to."     "The  administration 
of  opium  to  the  unaccu.stomed    is  sometimes  very  difficult. 
The  re<iui.site  quantity  of  opium  is  wonderfully  different  in 
different  persons  and  in  different  .states  of  the  same  person. 
A  quarter  of  a  grain  will  in  one  adult  produce  effects  which 
ten  times  the  tpiantity  will    not  do  in  another.     The  lowest 
fatal  dose  to  the  unaccustomed,  as  mentioned  b>-  authors, 
seems  to  be  four  grains;  but  a  dangerous  dose  is  so  apt  to 
puke,  that  it  has  .seldom  time  to  occa.sion  death." 

From  the  above  extracts,  it  will  readily  be  .seen  that  the 
use  of  opium  as  medicine  is  very  dangerous,  at  least,  if  not 
destructive  to  health ;  its  advocates,  it  will  be  okserved,  do 
not  pretend  that  it  will  cure  any  disorder,  but  is  used  as  a 
palliative  for  the  purpo.se  of  ea.sing  pain  by  destroying  sensi- 
bility. Pain  is  caused  by  disease,  and  tlw  re  can  be  no  other 
way  to  relieve  it  but  by  removing  the  cause.  Sleep  pro- 
duced by  opium  is  unnatural,  and  affords  jio  relief  to  the  pa- 
tient, being  nothing  more  than  a  suspen.sion  of  his  .sen.ses; 
and  it  might  with  as  much  propriety  l)e  said,  that  a  .state  of 
delirium  is  beneficial,  for  a  person  in  that  situation  is  not 
sensible  of  pain.  The  fact  is,  opium  is  a  poison,  and  when 
taken  into  the  system,  produces  no  other  effect  than  to 
strengthen  the  power  of  the  enemy  to  health,  by  deadening 
the  sensible  organs  of  the  .stomach  and  intestines,  and  pre- 
venting them  from  performing  their  natural  functions,  so  im- 
portant to  the  maintaining  of  health  and  life.  In  all  the 
cases  that  have  come  within  my  knowledge  where  the  pa- 
tient has  been  long  in  the  habit  of  taking  opium,  I  have 
found  it  almost  impossible,  after  removing  the  disease,  to  re- 
store the  digestive  powers  of  the  stomach. 

I  have  made  the  foregoing   extracts  on  the  subject  of 


-,  1 


l;       t 


I 


M 


.\7:n(;t •//)/•:  ro  //a. //.///,  rM*. 


fMtiHoiis  for  the  |nir]>4)Si'  ot'  KiviiiK  <(  inore  plain  iiikI  .siiiipU- 
view  of  the  jK-rnicious  c()iisc<|ut'iu'e.s  cinisid  by  tlu-ir  lK.'iiin 
){ivt*ii  ns  iiufliciiic,  than  I  could  do  in  any  otiior  maimer.  In 
tliis  short  addrcsH,  it  is  impossible  to  do  that  justice  to  the 
Mulyect  that  I  could  wish,  and  which  its  im]N)rtance  demand.H; 
btit  I  am  not  without  ho|K-  that  what  is  here  ^iven  will  sat- 
isfy every  candi^l  person  who  reads  it  of  the  truth  of  thosi- 
principles  which  it  has  been  at  all  times  my  endeavor  to  in- 
culcate for  the  l)enefit  of  mankind,  and  convince  them  that 
what  has  a  tendency  to  destroy  life  can  never  be  useful  in 
restoring  health. 

In  sui)port  t)f  what  has  l)een  l)efore  .said  on  the  use  of 
mercury.  I  will  here  ^ive  a  short  extract  from  Dr.  Mann's 
Medical  Sketches,  which  is  but  a  trifle  in  comparison  with 
the  many  cases  that  he  has  j^iven  of  the  fatal  eflFects  of  that 
poison;  "  Calomel  should  ne\er  Ik;  admini.stered,  unle.ss  the 
patient  is  .so  situated  that  the  skin  may  be  preser\'ed  in  its 
natural  warmth.  If  this  is  not  attended  to  during  its  admin- 
istration, either  the  bowels  or  the  glands  of  the  mouth  suf- 
fer. To  one  t)f  these  parts  it  frequently  directed  all  its 
stimulating  iH>wers,  and  induced  in  one  or  the  other  high  de- 
grees of  inflammation,  which  terminated  in  mortification  of 
the  intestines,  or  destruction  of  not  only  the  mu.scles,  but  the 
bones  of  the  face. 

"  Four  cases  under  these  formidable  effects  of  mercurial 
ptyalism  were  admitted  into  the  general  hospital  at  Lewis- 
town,  three  of  whom  died  with  their  jaws  and  faces  dread- 
fully mutilated.  The  fourth  recovered  with  the  loss  of  the 
inferior  maxilla  one  .side,  and  the  teeth  on  the  other.  He 
lived  a  most  wretched  life,  deformed  in  his  features,  and  when 
I  last  saw  the  patient,  incapable  of  taking  food,  except  through 
a  .small  aperture  in  place  of  his  mouth." 

There  are  .several  vegetables  that  grow  common  in  this 
country  which  are  poisons;  and  in  order  that  the  public  may 
be  on  their  guard  against  using  them  as  medicine,  I  will 
here  give  a  list  of  those  within  my  knowledge,  viz.:  Garden 
Hemlock.  Night  Shade,  Apple  Peru,  Poppy,  Henbane, 
Poke-root,  Mandrake-root, Garget-root, Wild  Parsnip,  Indigo- 
weed,  Ivy,  Dogwood,  Tobacco  and  Laurel.     In  case  either 


I 


/t(>r.i\7</:i.i///)/'//y.s/(/.i\.  m 

oltlitsciirticks,  orany<>tli».ri»o!.s«)u,  should  lit-  taken  tlimuKli 
accident,  or  otlicrwisc,  a  strong  preparation  of  No.  i.  with 
a  small  (inantity  of  No.  j.  will  k*  found  to  \k'  a  soverdKU 
remedy . 

Cases  fre(|Uently  oecur  lu  the  c<»untr;.  of  l)einK  |M)i.soned 
externally  hy  .some  of  the  alxne  veKftahle  jKHsonM,  in  which 
they  swell  very  much.  When  tiiis  hapjiens,  by  takiiiK  No. 
2,  or  ComiK>siti(m,  and  wa.shinx;  with  the  tincture,  or  the 
third  prej)aration  of  No.  i,  relief  may  be  .siH.edily  obtained. 

It  i.s  a  conuuon  thinn  with  the  doctors  to  make  use  of  many 
of  the  above  mentioned  vegetable  poisons  as  medicine;  but  I 
wcmld  caution  the  public  against  the  u.se  of  tiiem  in  any 
way  whatever,  as  they  will  have  no  other  effect  than  to  in- 
crease the  difficulty,  and  injure  the  constitution  of  the  pa- 
tient; being  deadly  poi.soiis,  it  is  impossible  that  they  can  do 
any  gcHMl.  No  dumb  beast  will  ever  touch  them,  and  they 
are  correct  judges  of  what  is  good  for  f(X)(l  or  medicine. 

Great  u.se  is  made  in  many  parts  of  the  country  of  garden 
hendiK'k,  .scicuta,  and  it  is  recommended  by  the  d(K'tors for 
many  complaints,  to  be  taken  or  applied  externally.  I  have 
been  cre<libly  informed  that  large  quantities  of  this  article  are 
collected  ard  lK)iled  down  to  a  thick  .substance  by  the  people 
in  thecimntry.  and  .sold  by  them  to  the  doctors  and  ajjothe 
caries.  It  is  well  known  to  l>e  the  greatest  poison  of  an>-  veg- 
etable, and  was  used  in  ancient  times  to  put  criminals  to 
death;  but  this  wa.s  before  it  was  ever  tlumght  of  that  tiie 
.same  article  that  would  cause  immediate  death  when  taken 
for  that  purpo.se  would  also  cure  disease. 

Many  persons  that  pretend  to  make  use  of  my  system  of 
practice  are  in  the  habit  of  using  .some  of  the  vegetables  that 
I  have  mentioned  as  poisonous.  I  wish  the  public  to  under- 
stand that  it  is  entirely  unauthorized  by  me,  as  there  is  noth- 
ing in  my  practice  or  writings  but  what  is  directly  opposed 
to  everything  of  a  poi.sonous  nature  being  used  as  a  medi- 
cine: for  it  has  always  been  my  aim  to  ascertain  and  avoid 
the  use  of  everything  except  such  articles  as  I  knew  bj-  actual 
experience  to  be  agreeable  to  nature,  and  also  free  from  all 
danger  or  risk  in  using  them  to  cure   di.sease.     I    therefore 


^J^- 


:!<> 


A/i//'  (.(//)/•:  TO  HEAI.ril:  ON, 


caution  tht-  public  against  putting  any  confidence  in  such  as 
make  use  of  either  vegetable  or  mineral  poison. 

There  have  been  several  cases  of  death  published  by  the 
doctors,  which  the>'  say  were  caused  b\-  those  who  practice 
by  my  system;  and  from  the  description  they  have  given  of 
the  treatment.  I  have  good  reason  to  suppo.se,  if  there  is  any 
truth  at  all  in  them,  were  attended  bj-  such  as  I  have  before 
mentioned,  pretending  to  practice  by  my  system  without 
having  a  correct  knowledge  of  it;  and  who  are  tampering 
with  every  kind  of  medicine  they  can  find;  for  there  is  no 
such  treatment  of  disease  as  they  de.scribe  ever  been  recom- 
mended by  me,  or  that  can  be  found  in  my  writings  or  prac- 
tice. It  is  very  convenient  for  them,  and  has  become  common 
to  say,  when  they  happen  to  be  successful,  it  is  their  own 
great  improvements;  but  when  the  patient  dies,  it  is  then  laid 
to  the  Thomsonian  system  of  practice.  This  is  unjust,  and 
ought  to  be  expo.sed;  and  I  ask  all  those  who  have  a  wish  to 
promote  the  practice  to  adopt  some  means  to  ascertain  the 
truth  and  make  it  public. 

THE  DOCTORS  WITHOUT  A  SYSTEM. 


1  i*; 


sm. 


That  the  doctors  have  no  .system  is  a  fact  prett}-  generally 
acknowledged  by  themselves;  or  at  least  they  have  none  that 
has  been  fixed  upon  as  a'general  rule  for  their  practice.  Al- 
most every  great  man  among  1  hem  has  had  a  system  of  his  own , 
which  has  been  followed  by  their  adherents  till  some  other 
one  is  brought  forward  more  fashionable.  This  is  undoubt- 
edly a  great  evil,  for  it  makes  everything  uncertain;  where  it 
is  con.stantly  changing,  there  can  be  no  dependence  on  any 
thing,  and  the  practice  must  always  be  experimental;  no 
useful  knowledge  can  be  obtained  by  the  young  practition- 
ers, as  they  will  be  con.stantly  seeking  after  new  theories. 
What  should  we  say  of  a  carpenter  who  should  undertake  to 
repair  a  building  without  having  any  rule  to  work  by,  and 
should,  for  want  of  one,  destroy  the  half  of  all  he  undertook 
to  repair.  The  employers  would  soon  lo.se  all  confidence  in 
him,  and  dismiss  him  ns  an  ignorant  blockhead.  And  is  it 
not  of  infinitely  more  importance  for  those  who  undertake  to 


nOT.lXIC  FAMILY  I'HYSICIAX.  .{7 

repair  the  human  l)ody  to  have  some  correct  rule  to  work  by? 
Their  practice  is  founded  on  visionary  theories,  which  are  so 
uncertain  and  contradictory  that  it  is  impossible  to  form  an> 
correct  general  rule  as  a  guide  to  be  depended  upon.  In  or- 
der to  show  the  opinions  of  others  as  well  as  my  own,  I  shall 
make  a  few  extracts  from  late  writers  on  the  subject.  Speak- 
ing of  the  revolutions  of  medicines,  one  .says: 

"  We  have  now  noticed  the  principal  revolutions  of  medi- 
cine; and  we  plainly  i)erceive  that  the  theory  of  medicine  not 
only  has  been,  but  is  yet,  in  an  un.settlefl  .state;  that  its  prac- 
tical application  is  wavering,  fallacious,  and  extremely  per- 
nicious; and  taking  a  survey  of  the  various  fortunes  of  the 
art,  we  may  well  .say  with  Bacon,  that  medicine  is  a  science 
that  hath  been  more  profes.sed  than  labored,  and  yet  more  la- 
bored than  advanced,  the  labor  having  been  in  a  circle,  but 
not  in  progre.ssion. 

"Theories  are  but  the  butterflies  of  the  day ;  they  buzz 
for  a  while  and  then  expire.  We  can  trace  for  many  centu- 
ries past  one  theory  overturning  another,  yet  each  in  its 
succes.sion  promi.sing  itself  innnortalit}-. 

' '  The  application  of  the  rules  which  the  practitioner  lays 
down  to  himself  is  direct,  and  in  their  choice  no  one  can 
err  with  impunity.  The  least  erroneous  view  leads  to  some 
consequence.  We  mu.st  remember  the  lives  of  our  fellow- 
creatures  are  at  .stake.  For  how  man\-  cruel  and  premature 
deaths,  how  many  impaired  and  debilitated  constitutions, have 
paid  for  the  folly  of  theories— follies  which  have  proved 
almost  always  fascinating!  The  study  of  a  .sy.stem  is  more 
easy  than  an  investigation  of  nature:  and  in  practice  it  seems 
to  smooth  every  difficulty." 

' '  In  my  lectures  on  the  art  of  phy.sic, " '  says  Dr.  R'ing, 
' '  both  theoretical  and  practical,  I  have  fully  proved  that  there 
is  no  necessity-  for  that  bane  of  the  profession,  conjecture  or 
hypothesis:  and  if  I  were  asked  whether,  if  I  niyself  were 
dangerously  ill,  I  would  suffer  any  hypothetical,  however 
plau.sible,  physician  to  prescribe  for  my  malady,  my  answer  - 
would  be  no,  assuredly  no,  unless  I  wished  to  risk  the  loss  of 
my  life.     I  could  give  a  remarkable  in.stance  of  this. 


■in, 


m 


1 


■■    0 

(■ 

'  i 
\  ■ 

Ij 

i 

'. 

M 

l 

Ij 


1 1 


.•{H 


v/i/r  (;///)/■:  ro  heai.th;  or. 


"  Speculation  and  hypothesis  are  ahvajs  at  variance  with 
sound  cxpcriincc  and  suarss/id  prat  lire." 

The  above  extracts  evince  the  pernicious  effects  of  false 
theor\-  and  h>pothesis,  which  at  the  present  da>'  constitute 
nearly  the  whole  art  of  physic. 

The  following  just  remarks  are  copied  from  the  writings 
of  the  Rev.  John  We.sley: 

"  As  theories  increased,  .simple  medicines  were  more  and 
more  disregarded  and  disused;  till,  in  a  course  of  years,  the 
greater  part  of  them  were  forgotten,  at  lea.st  in  the  more  po- 
lite nations.  In  the  room  of  these,  abundance  of  new  ones 
were  introduced  by  reasoning,  siieculative  men,  and  tho.se 
more  and  more  difficult  to  be  applied,  as  being  more  remote 
from  common  ob.servation.  Hence  rules  for  the  application 
ofthe.se,  and  medical  books,  were  immensely  multiplied;  till 
at  length  physic  became  an  ab.struse  .science,  quite  out  of  the 
reach  of  ordinary  men.  Phy.sicians  now  began  to  be  held  in 
admiration,  as  persons  who  were  .something  more  than  hu- 
man. And  profit  attended  their  employ,  as  well  as  honor. 
vSo  that  they  had  now  two  weighty  reasons  for  keeping  the 
bulk  of  mankind  at  a  di.stance,  that  they  might  not  pr>-  into 
the  my.steries  of  their  profes.sion.  To  this  end  they  increa.sed 
those  difficulties  by  design,  which  were  in  a  manner  by  ac- 
cident. They  filled  their  writings  with  abundance  of  tech- 
nical terms,  utterly  unintelligible  to  plain  men. 

Tho.se  who  understood  only  how  to  restore  the  sick  to 
health,  they  branded  with  the  name  of  Empirics.  They  in- 
troduced into  practice  abundance  of  compound  medicines, 
consisting  of  so  many  ingredients  that  it  was  scarce  possible 
for  common  people  to  know  which  it  was  that  wrought  a 
cure;  abundance  of  exotics,  neither  the  nature  nor  names 
qf  which  their  own  countrymen  understood." 

"The  history  of  the  art  of  medicine  in  all  ages,"  says 
Dr.  Blane,  "  so  teems  with  the  fanciful  influence  of  supersti- 
tious ob.servances,  the  imaginary  virtues  of  medicines,  with 
nugatory,  delusive,  inefficient,  and  capricious  practices,  fal- 
lacious and  sophistical  reasonings,  as  to  render  it  little  more 
than  a  chaos  of  error,  a  tissue  of  deceit  unworthy  of  adniis- 
.sion  among  the  useful  arts  and  liberal  pursuits  of  man." 


/!07'.L\/C  /-.lAf/f.y   /'HYS/C/.LX.  89 

DESCRIPTION  OF   THE  VEGETABLE   MEDICINE  USED   iN   MY  SYS- 
TEM OF  PRACTICE. 


In  describing  those  vegetables  which  I  make  use  of  in 
removing  disease  and  restoring  the  health  of  the  patient, 
agreeably  to  my  system  of  practice,  I  shall  mention  those 
only  which  I  have  found  most  useful  by  a  long  series  of 
practical  knowledge;  and  in  the  use  of  which  I  have  been 
successful  in  effecting  the  desired  object.  A  much  greater 
number  of  articles  in  the  vegetable  kingdom  that  are  u.seful 
as  medicine  might  have  been  described  and  their  medical 
virtues  pointed  out,  if  I  had  thought  it  would  be  Ijeneficial; 
in  fact,  I  am  confident  there  are  very  few  vegetable  produc- 
tions of  our  coinitry  that  I  have  not  a  tolerable  good  knowl- 
edge of,  it  having  been  my  principal  study  for  al)ove  thirty 
years;  but  to  undertake  to  describe  them  all  would  be  useless 
and  unprofitable  to  my  readers,  and  could  lead  to  no  good 
result.  The  plan  that  I  have  adopted  in  describing  such  ar- 
ticles as  I  have  thought  necessary  to  mention,  and  giving  di- 
rections how  to  prepare  and  administer  them,  is  to  cla.ss  them 
under  the  numljers  which  form  my  system  of  practice;  this 
was  thought  to  be  the  best  way  to  give  a  correct  and  full  un- 
derstanding of  the  whole  subject.  Each  number  is  calcu- 
lated to  effect  a  certain  object,  which  is  stated  in  the  heading 
to  each  as  they  are  introduced;  every  article,  therefore,  that  is 
useful  in  promoting  such  objects  will  be  described  as  appli- 
cable to  the  number  under  which  it  is  classed.  The  three 
first  are  used  to  remove  disease  and  the  others  as  re.storatives. 
There  are  a  number  of  preparations  and  compounds  that  I 
have  made  use  of  and  found  good  in  cixring  various  com- 
plaints; the  directions  for  making  them,  and  a  description  of 
the  articles  of  which  they  are  compcsed,  are  given  as  far  as 
was  deemed  necessary.  The  manner  of  applying  them  will 
be  hereafter  more  particularly  stated,  when  I  come  to  give  an 
account  oi,  the  manner  of  treating  some  of  the  most  import- 
ant cases  of  disease  which  have  come  under  mv  care. 


'.     ■!■ 


i^JSI*^v~:S-J 


4(1 


AA/r  (;(7/)f-  TO  in:.ii/ni:  oh\ 


No.  ■.— To  cleanse  the  Stomach,  overpower  the  Cold,  and  pro- 
mote a  Free  Perspiration. 


EMETIC  HERB.    LOBELIA  INFLATA  OF  UN/EUS. 

In  givitiK  a  description  of  this  valuable  herb,  I  shall  be 
more  particular,  because  it  is  the  most  important  article  made 
use  of  in  my  system  of  practice,  without  which  it  would  be 
incomplete,  and  themedical  virtues  of  which,  and  the  admin- 
istering it  in  curing  disease,  I  claim  as  my  own  discover)'. 
The  first  knowledge  I  ever  had  of  it  was  obtained  by  acci- 
dent more  than  forty  years  ago,  and  never  had  any  informa- 
tion whatever  concerning  it,  except  what  I  have  gained  by 
my  own  experience.  A  great  deal  has  been  said  of  late  about 
this  plant,  both  in  favor  and  against  its  utility  as  a  medi- 
cine: but  all  that  the  faculty  have  .said  or  published  concern- 
ing it  only  shows  their  ignorance  on  the  subject;  for  there  is 
very  little  uth  in  what  they  have  stated  concerning  its  med- 
ical properties,  except  wherein  they  have  ad;nitted  it  to  be  a 
certain  cure  for  theasthma,  one  of  the  most  distressing  com- 
plaints that  human  nature  is  subject  to.  It  is  a  truth  which 
cannot  be  disputed  by  any  one,  that  all  they  have  known 
about  this  article,  and  the  experiments  that  have  been  made 
to  ascertain  its  value,  originated  in  my  making  use  of  it  in  my 
practice. 

In  the  course  of  my  practice,  a  number  of  the  doctors  dis- 
covered that  the  medicine  I  made  use  of  produced  effects 
which  astonished  them,  and  which  they  could  not  account 
for;  this  induced  them  to  conclude  that  because  it  was  so 
powerful  in  removing  di.sease  it  must  be  poison.  This  I 
think  can  be  very  satisfactorily  accounted  for;  they  have  no 
knowledge  of  anything  in  all  their  medical  science  which  is 
capable  of  producing  a  powerful  effect  upon  the  human  sys- 
tem, except  what  is  poisonous,  and  therefore  naturally  form 
their  opinions  agreeably  to  this  erroneous  theorj-.  There  is 
a  povi'er  to  produce  life,  and  a  power  to  produce  death,  which 
are  of  course  directly  opposed  to  each  other;  and  whatever 
tends  to  promote  life  cannot  cause  death,  let  its  power  be 
ever  so  great.     In  this  consists  all  the  difference  between  my 


HOT.  i.\/c  /■:  /J///. )   / '// )  s/( ■/.  i.v. 


A\ 


system  of  practice  and  that  of  the  learned  doctors.  In  con- 
sequence of  their  thus  forming  an  erroneous  opinion  of  this 
herb,  which  they  had  no  knowledge  of,  they  undertook  to 
represent  it  as  a  deadly  poison;  and  in  order  to  destroy  ni\ 
practice,  they  raised  a  hue-and-cry  about  my  killing  my  pa- 
tients by  administering  it  to  them.  Some  of  the  faculty  even 
made  oath  that  it  was  poison,  and  when  taken  into  the  stom- 
ach, if  it  did  not  cause  immediate  vomiting,  it  was  certain 
death.  It  is  unnecessary  for  me  now  to  point  out  the  falsity 
of  this,  for  the  fact  is  pretty  well  known  that  there  is  no 
death  in  it;  but,  on  the  contrary,  that  there  is  no  vegetable 
that  the  earth  produces  more  harmless  in  its  effects  on  the 
human  system,  and  none  more  powerful  in  removing  disea.se 
and  promoting  health. 

There  is  no  mention  made  of  this  herb  by  any  author, 
that  I  have  been  able  to  find,  previous  to  my  discovering  it, 
excepting  by  Linaeus,  who  has  given  a  correct  description  of 
it  under  the  name  of  Lobelia  Inflata:  but  there  is  nothing 
.said  of  its  medical  properties;  it  is  therefore  reasonable  to 
conclude  that  they  were  not  known  till  I  discovered  it,  and 
proved  it  to  be  u.seful.  When  the  facult\  first  made  the  dis- 
covery that  I  used  the  Emetic  Herb  in  m\-  practice,  they  de- 
clared it  to  be  a  deadly  poi.son ;  and  while  persecuting  me  by 
every  means  in  their  power,  and  representing  to  the  world 
that  I  killed  my  patients  with  it,  the\-  were  \ery  read\-  to  call 
it  my  medicine,  and  allow  it  tt)  be  my  own  discovery;  but 
since  their  ignorance  of  it  has  been  exposed,  and  they  find  it 
is  going  to  become  an  article  of  great  value,  an  attempt  seems 
to  be  making  to  rob  me  of  all  the  credit  for  causing  its  value 
to  be  known,  and  the  profits  which  belong  to  me  for  the  dis- 
covery. In  which  some  who  have  been  instructed  bj-  me 
are  ready  to  join,  for  the  purpose  of  promoting  their  own 
interest  at  my  expense. 

Dr.  Thacher,  in  his  Dispensatory,  has  undertaken  to  give 
an  account  of  this  herb;  but  is  very  erroneous,  except  in  the 
description  of  it,  which  is  nearly  correct.  It  appears  that  all 
the  knowledge  he  has  on  the  subject  as  to  its  virtues,  is 
borrowed  from  others,  and  is  probablj-  derived  from  the  rid- 
iculous ideas  entertained  of  its  power  by  those  doctors  who 


' 


li  i 


I'      ^ 

I* 
^1 


I 


ii  M'lw  inini:  TO  niiALTH;  oK\ 

knew  nothing  about  it, except  what  they  gained  by  my  making 
use  of  it.  as  has  been  before  stated.  As  to  its  being  danger- 
ous toadmini.ster  it.  and  that  if  it  does  not  puke  it  frequently 
destroys  the  patient,  and  sometimes  in  five  or  .six  hours;  and 
that  even  horses  and  cattle  have  lieen  suppo.sed  to  be  killed 
by  eating  it  accidentally,  is  as  absurd  as  it  is  untrue,  and 
only  proves  their  ignorance  of  the  article.  He  tells  a  melan- 
choly story  about  the  Lolielia  Inflata  being  administered  by 
the  adventurous  hand  of  a  noted  empiric,  who,  he  says,  fre- 
(juently  administered  it  in  a  dose  of  a  teaspoonful  of  the  pow- 
dered leaves,  and  often  repeated;  which,  he  says,  furnishes 
alarming  examples  of  its  deleterious  properties  and  fatal  ef- 
fects. This,  there  is  no  doubt,  alludes  to  me,  and  took  its 
rise  from  the  false  statements  circulated  about  me  at  the  time 
of  my  trial,  to  prejudice  the  public  again.st  my  practice.  It 
is  true  the  dose  that  I  usually  prescribe  is  a  teaspoonful  of  the 
powder:  but  that  it  ever  produced  atn-  fatal  effect  is  altogether 
incorrect,  and  is  well  known  to  be  so  by  all  who  have  any 
correct  knowledge  on  the  subject. 

What  is  quoted  in  the  Dispensatorj-,  from  the  Rev.  Dr.  M. 
Cutler,  concerning  this  herb,  is,  in  general,  correct,  particu- 
larly as  it  regards  its  being  a  .specific  for  the  asthma:  though 
he  labored  under  many  mistaken  notions  about  its  effects 
when  taken  into  the  stomach.  He  says:  ' '  If  the  quantity  be 
a  little  increased,  it  operates  as  an  emetic,  and  then  as  a  ca- 
thartic, its  effects  being  much  the  .same  as  those  of  the  com- 
mon emetics  and  cathartics. ' '  In  this  he  is  mistaken,  for 
it  is  entirely  different  from  any  other  emetic  known;  and  as 
to  its  operating  as  a  cathartic,  I  never  knew  it  to  have  such 
an  effect  in  all  my  practice.  And  I  certainly  ought  to  know 
something  about  it,  after  having  made  use  of  it  for  above 
twenty  years,  and  administering  it  in  every-  form  and  man- 
ner that  it  can  be  given,  and  for  every  disease  that  has  come 
within  my  knowledge.  It  appears  that  all  the  knowledge 
he  and  other  doctors  have  got  of  this  herb  being  useful  in 
curing  disease,  particularly  in  the  asthma,  was  obtained  from 
me;  for  when  I  was  prosecuted,  I  was  obliged  to  expose  my 
discoveries  to  show  the  falsity  of  the  indictment.  Dr.  Cut- 
ler was  brought  forward  as  a  witness  at  my  trial,  to  prove 


I 


nOr.lMC  lAMII.Y  PHYSICIAN. 


»:t 


the  virtues  of  this  plant  by  his  evidence  that  he  cured  him- 
self of  the  asthma  with  it.  He  says  the  first  information  he 
had  of  its  being  good  for  that  complaint  was  from  Dr.  Drur>-, 
of  Marblehead.  In  the  fall  of  the  year,  1807,  I  introduced 
the  u.se  of  the  Emetic  Herl),  tinctured  in  spirit,  for  the  asth- 
ma and  6ther  complaints  of  the  hr  ifs,  and  cured  several  of 
the  con.sumption.  In  1808,  I  cure  a  woman  in  Newington 
of  the  asthma,  who  had  not  laid  iti  her  bed  for  six  months. 
I  gathered  .some  of  the  young  plants  not  bigger  than  a  dol- 
lar, brui.sed  them,  and  tinctured  them  in  spirits,  gave  her  the 
tincture,  and  she  lay  in  bed  the  first  night.  I  showed  her 
what  it  was,  and  how  to  prepare  and  use  it,  and  by  taking 
this  and  otlier  things  according  to  my  direction,  she  has  en- 
joyed a  comfortable  .state  of  health  for  twelve  years,  and  has 
never  been  obliged  to  sit  up  one  night  since.  The  same  fall 
I  used  it  in  Beverly  and  Salem;  and  there  can  be  no  doubt 
but  all  the  information  concerning  the  vafue  of  this  article 
was  obtained  from  ray  practice. 

After  Dr.  Cutler  had  given  his  testimony  of  the  virtues  of 
this  herb,  and  the  doctors  having  become  convinced  of  its 
value,  they  come  forward  and  .say  it  is  good  medicine  in  skil- 
ful hands.  Who,  I  would  ask,  is  more  skilful  than  he  who 
discovered  it,  and  taught  them  how  to  prepare  and  use  it  in 
curing  one  of  the  most  distressing  complaints  known?  If  it 
is  a  good  medicine,  it  is  mine,  and  I  am  entitled  to  the  credit 
of  introducing  it  into  use,  and  have  paid  dear  for  it;  if  it  is 
poison,  the  doctors  do  not  need  it,  as  they  have  enough  of 
that  now.  Dr.  Thacher  undertakes  to  make  it  appear  that 
the  fatal  effects  he  tells  about  its  producing,  were  owing  to  the 
quantity  given;  and  says  I  administered  a  teaspoonful  of  the 
powder;  and  when  he  comes  to  give  directions  for  using  it, 
says  that  from  ten  to  twenty  grains  may  be  given  with  safe- 
ty. It  appears  strange  that  different  terms  should  produce 
.such  different  effects  in  the  operation  of  medicine.  If  a  tea- 
spoonful  is  given  by  an  :mpiric,  its  effects  are  fatal;  but  if 
the  same  quantity  is  administered  by  a  learned  doctor,  and 
called  grains,  it  is  a  useful  medicine. 

This  herb  is  described  in  Thacher's  Dispensatory  under 
the  names  of  Lobelia  Inflata,  Lobelia  Emetica.  Emetic  Weed. 


1,     ; 
1 


i' 


r! 


-  J 


III 


-''\ 


\ 


«ft^-*j:ip-"%^.A"  ■;; 


I 


44 


xj: If  (.1  //>/■:  TO  //A. //.///,  i)h\ 


ami  Indian  Tobacco;  and  several  other  names  have  l)een  giv- 
en it,  some  by  way  of  ridicule,  and  others  for  the  purpose  of 
creating  p.  prejudice  against  it;  all  of  which  has  so  confound- 
ed it  with  other  articles  that  there  is  a  difficulty  in  ascertain- 
ing what  they  mean  to  describe.  I  have  been  informed  that 
theie  is  a  poisonous  root  grows  in  the  Southern  vStates  calletl 
Lobelia,  which  has  been  used  as  a  medicine;  the  calling  this 
heib  by  that  name  has  probably  been  one  reason  of  its  be- 
nig  thought  to  be  poison.  Why  it  has  had  the  name  of  In- 
dian Tobacco  given  it.  I  know  not;  there  is  a  plant  that  is 
called  by  that  name,  which  grows  in  this  country,  but  it  is 
entirely  different  from  this  herb,  both  in  appearance  and  med- 
ical virtues.  In  the  United  vStates  Phannacopoeia,  there  are 
directions  given  for  preparing  the  tincture  of  Indian  Tobac- 
co; whether  they  mean  this  herb  or  the  plant  that  has  been 
always  called  by  that  name,  does  not  appear;  but  it  is  prob- 
able they  mean  the  Kmetic  Herb,  and  that  all  the  knowl- 
edge they  have  of  it  is  from  Dr.  Cutler's  description.  It  is 
said  by  Thacher  that  it  was  employed  by  the  aborigines 
and  by  those  who  deal  in  Indian  remedies:  and  others  who 
are  attempting  to  rob  me  of  the  di.scoverj-  affect  to  believe 
the  same  thing;  but  this  is  founded  altogether  upon  conject- 
ure, for  thej-  cannot  produce  a  single  instance  of  its  having 
been  employed  as  a  medicine  till  I  made  use  of  it.  The  fact 
is,  it  is  a  new  article,  wholly  unknown  to  the  medical  fac- 
ulty till  I  introduced  it  into  u.se,  and  the  be.st  evidence  of  this 
is  that  they  are  now  ignorant  of  its  powers;  and  all  the 
knowledge  they  have  of  it  has  been  obtained  from  my  prac- 
tice. It  would  be  folly  for  me  to  undertake  to  .say  but  that 
it  may  have  lieen  u.sed  by  the  natives  of  this  country ;  but  one 
thing  I  am  certain  of,  that  I  never  had  any  knowledge  of 
their  using  it,  nor  ever  received  any  information  concerning 
it  from  them,  or  any  one  else. 

The  Emetic  Herb  may  be  found  in  the  first  stages  of  its 
growth  at  all  times  through  the  summer,  from  the  bigness  of 
a  six-cent  piece  to  that  of  a  dollar,  and  larger,  lying  flat  on 
the  ground,  in  a  round  form,  like  a  ro.se  pre.s.sed  flat,  in  order 
to  bear  the  weight  of  snow  which  lies  on  it  during  the  win- 
ter,   and    is  subject  to  be  winter-killed,  like  wheat.     In  the 


I 


/.•<)/:i.\/(.  /-.ij///,)   /•//i.\7(/.i.\.  1.-, 

spriiiK  it  looks  yellow  and  pale,  like  other  things  suffering 
from  wet  atul  cold;  but  when  the  returning  sun  spreads  forth 
its  enlivening  rays  upon  it,  it  lifts  up  its  leaves  and  shoots 
forth  a  stalk  to  the  height  of  from  twelve  to  fifteen  inches  with 
a  number  of  branches,  carrying  up  its  leaves  with  its 
growth.  In  July  it  puts  forth  small,  pointed,  pale  blue  blos- 
soms, which  are  followed  b.\  small  pods  al)out  the  size  of  a 
white  bean,  containing  numerous  very  small  seeds.  This 
pod  is  an  exact  re.semblance  of  the  human  stonuich,  having 
an  inlet  and  outlet  higher  than  the  middle;  from  the  inlet  it 
receives  nourishment,  and  by  the  outlet  discharges  the  seeds. 
It  comes  to  maturity  alxnit  the  first  of  vSeptember.  when  the 
leaves  and  pods  turn  a  little  yellow;  this  is  the  Ixjst  time  to 
gather  it.  It  is  what  is  called  by  botanists  a  biennial  plant, 
or  of  only  two  years'  existence. 

This  plant  is  conunon  in  all  parts  of  this  country.  Wher- 
ever the  land  is  fertile  enough  to  yield  support  for  its  inhab- 
itants it  may  be  found.  It  is  confined  to  no  soil  which  is  fit 
for  cultivation,  from  the  highest  mountains  to  the  lowe.st 
valleys.  In  hot  and  wet  .seasons  it  is  most  plenty  on  dry 
and  warm  lands;  in  hot  and  dry  sea.sons  on  clayey  and  heavy 
lands.  When  the  .season  is  cold,  either  wet  or  dry,  it  rarely 
makes  its  appearance;  and  if  the  summer  and  fall  are  very  dry 
the  seed  does  not  come  up,  and  of  course  there  will  be  very 
little  to  be  found  the  next  season.  I  have  been  in  search  of 
this  herb  from  Boston  to  Canada,  and  was  not  able  to  collect 
more  than  two  pounds;  and  in  some  .seasons  I  have  not  been 
able  to  collect  any.  I  mention  this  to  .show  the  uncertainty 
of  its  growth,  and  to  put  the  people  on  their  guard  to  be  care- 
ful and  lay  up  a  good  stock  of  it  when  plenty.  In  the  year 
1807,  if  I  had  ofTered  a  reward  of  one  thousand  dollars  for  a 
pound  of  this  herb,  I  should  not  have  been  able  to  have  ob- 
tained it.  I  have  seen  the  time  that  I  would  have  given  two 
dollars  for  an  ounce  of  the  powder,  but  there  was  none  to  be 
had;  which  necessity  taught  me  to  lay  up  all  I  could  obtain 
when  it  was  plenty. 

In  seasons  when  this  herb  is  plenty,  it  may  be  found 
growing  in  highways  and  pastures;  by  the  .side  of  old  turn- 
pikes, and  to  stubble  land,   particularly  where  it  has  been 


|!l- 


!  1  -I 


m 


\/:  II    (.///)/:    /(>  hi:. 1 1. Til:  OK\ 


laid  dowji  in  grass  the  year  Inifore:  when  jjrass  is  starce,  it  is 
eaten  by  cattle,  and  is  hard  to  l)e  fonnd  when  fnll  grown.  It 
is  a  wild  plant,  and  a  native  of  this  country;  hut  there  is  no 
doubt  of  its  l)eing  common  to  other  countries.  It  may  be 
transplanted  and  cultivated  in  gardens,  and  will  l)e  much 
larger  and  more  vigorous  than  when  growing  wild.  If  .some 
stalks  are  left,  it  will  sow  itself,  and  probably  may  be  pro- 
duced from  the  seed;  but  how  long  the  seeds  remain  in  the 
ground  before  tliey  come  up,  I  do  not  know,  never  having 
made  any  experiments  to  ascertain  the  fact.  It  is  certain 
that  it  is  produced  from  the  seed,  and  there  is  no  gotnl  reason 
to  suppcse  that  it  may  not  be  cultivated  in  gardens  from  the 
seed  as  well  as  other  vegetables.  I  think  it  most  probable, 
however,  from  the  nature  of  the  plant,  that  it  will  not  come 
up  till  the  .seeds  have  laid  at  least  one  winter  in  the  ground. 

This  plant  is  different  in  one  very  importdit  particular 
from  all  others  that  I  have  a  knowledge  of,  that  the  same 
quantity  will  produce  the  same  effect  in  all  stages  of  its 
growth,  from  its  first  appearance  till  it  comes  to  maturity; 
but  the  Ijcst  time  for  gathering  it.  as  has  before  been  men- 
tioned, is  when  the  leaves  and  pods  begin  to  turn  yellow,  for 
then  the  .seed  is  ripe,  and  you  have  all  there  can  be  of  it.  It 
.should  then  be  cut  and  kept  clean,  and  spread  in  a  large 
chamber  or  loft  to  dry,  wl'ere  it  is  open  to  the  air  in  the  day 
time,  and  to  be  shut  froii  the  damp  air  during  the  night. 
When  perfectly  dry,  shake  oiit  the  seed  and  sift  it  through  a 
common  meal  sieve,  and  preserve  it  by  itself;  then  beat  off 
the  leaves  and  pods  from  the  stalks,  and  preserve  them  clean. 
This  herb  may  be  prepared  for  use  in  three  different  ways: 
vi/:  I  St.  The  powdered  leaves  and  pods.  2d.  A  tincture 
made  from  the  green  herb  with  spirit.  3d.  The  seeds  re- 
duced to  a  fine  powder  and  compounded  with  Nos.  2  and  6. 

I .  After  the  leaves  and  pods  are  .separated  from  tlie  stalks, 
pound  or  grind  thera  in  a  mortar  to  fine  powder,  sift  it 
through  a  fine  sieve,  and  preserve  it  from  the  air.  This  is 
the  most  common  preparation,  and  may  be  given  in  many 
different  ways,  either  by  itself  or  compounded  with  other  ar- 
ticles. For  a  common  dose,  take  a  teaspoonful  of  this  pow- 
der with  the  .same  quantity  of  sugar  in  half  a  teacupful  of 


1 


/u>T.i.\n  /-.i.u/i.y  r/nsic/.(.\.  47 

warm  water,  or  a  tea  t)f  No.  3  may  he  u.sed  instead  of  tht- 
water;  this  dose  may  lie  taken  all  at  one  time,  or  at  three 
times,  at  intervals  often  inimites,  For  a  young  child,  strain 
off  the  li(|uorand  give  a  part,  as  circiin:.,'iances  shall  require. 
There  is  but  one  way  in  whicu  this  herb  can  Ix-  prepared 
that  it  will  refuse  its  services,  and  that  is  when  boiled  or 
.scalded:  it  is  therefore  important  to  liear  in  mind  that  there 
must  never  be  anything  put  to  it  warmer  than  a  blmxl  heat. 

2.  To  prepare  the  tincture,  take  the  greeii  herb  in  any 
stage  of  its  growth;  if  the  small  plants  are  used,  take  roots 
and  all;  put  them  into  a  mortar  and  pound  them  fine,  then 
add  the  same  quantity  of  good  spirits;  when  well  pounded 
and  worked  together,  .strain  it  through  a  fine  cloth,  and 
.squeeze  and  i)re.ss  it  hard  to  get  out  all  the  juice;  save  the 
liquor  in  bottles,  close  stopped,  for  u.se.  Good  vinegar  or 
pepper-sauce  may  l)e  used  in.stead  of  the  .spirit.  Prepared  in 
this  manner,  it  is  an  effectual  counter-|)oison,  either  taken, 
or  externally  applied.  It  is  al.so  an  excellent  medicine  for 
the  a.sthma,  and  all  complaints  of  the  lungs.  This  is  the  only 
way  in  which  the  drx'tors  have  made  use  of  the  Kmetic  Herb; 
and  they  acknowledge  't  to  be  one  of  the  l)e.st  remedies  in 
many  complaints  that  have  l)een  found,  though  they  know 
but  little  about  it.  For  a  dose,  take  from  half  to  a  teaspoon- 
ful.  Its  effects  will  be  more  certain  if  alxjut  the  sanie  quan- 
tity of  No.  2  is  added,  and  in  all  cases  where  there  are  nerv- 
ous symptoms,  add  half  a  teaspoojiful  of  nerve  powder,  Um- 
bil,  to  the  dose. 

3.  Reduce  the  seeds  to  a  fine  jx)wdcr  in  a  mortar,  and 
take  half  an  ounce  of  this  powder,  or  about  a  large  spoonful, 
with  the  same  quantity  of  No.  2  made  fine,  and  put  them  in 
a  gill  of  No.  6.  adding  a  teaspoonful  of  Umbil;  to  be  kept 
clo.se  stopped  in  a  bottle  for  use;  when  taken,  to  be  well 
shaken  together.  This  preparatio'.i  is  for  the  mo.st  violent 
attacks  of  disease,  such  as  lockjaw,  bite  of  mad  dog,  drowned 
persons,  fits,  spasms,  and  in  all  cases  of  suspended  animation, 
where  the  vital  .spark  is  nearly  extinct.  It  will  go  through 
the  system  like  electricity,  giving  heat  and  life  to  everj-  part. 
In  cases  where  the  spasms  are  so  violent  that  they  are  stiJBf, 
and  the  jaws  become  set,  by  pouring  some  of  this  liquid  into 


..._„_.J  !' 


IX       ■  si:\\  CI  iDi.ro  niiAi.rii:  ON, 

the  iiKiuth  hftwceii  the  check  and  U-ctli,  assoou  as  it  touches 
the  Kliiiuls  at  thi'  nM)ts  of  tlif  tongue  the  spasms  will  relax, 
and  the  jaws  will  liecome  loosened  so  that  the  mouth  will 
o|x:n:  then  ^ive  a  dose  of  it,  and  as  soon  as  the  spasms  have 
abated,  repeat  it.  and  afterwards  ^ive  a  ten  of  No.  3,  for 
canker.  This  course  I  never  knew  fail  of  Kiviti),' relief.  It 
is  j>;ood  in  less  violent  cases,  to  hrin^  out  the  measles  and 
smallpox,  and  if  ai)plied  to  pimples,  warts,  etc..  will  remove 
them.  I  have  cured  three  dogs  with  this  prepanition,  who 
were  under  the  most  violent  syuiDtoms  of  hydrophobia;  one 
of  my  agents  cured  a  man  with  it  v  ho  had  lieen  bitten  by  a 
mad  dog;  and  I  have  not  the  least  doubt  of  its  being  a  spe- 
cific for  that  disease.     For  a  dose,  take  a  tea.s|)o()nful. 

Much  has  been  said  of  the  power  of  the  lunetic  Herb,  and 
some   have  expr^s.sed   fears  of  it  on  that  account;  but  I  can 
as.sure  the  public   that  there  is  not  the  least  danger  in  using 
it;  I  have  given  it  to  children  from  one  day  old  to  persons  of 
eighty  years.      It  is  most  powerful  in  removing  disease,  but 
intuxrent  (m  nature.     Its  operation  in  different  iktsous  is  ac- 
cording to  their  different  temi)ers.  moving  with  the  natural 
current  of  the  animal  spirits.     There  are  two  cases  where  this 
medicine  will  not  operate,  viz. :  when  the  patient  is  dying, 
and  where  there  is  no  death;  or  in  other  words,    when  there 
is  no  di.sease.     There  can  be  no  war  where  there  is  no  enemy. 
When  there  is  no  cold  in  the  body  there  is  nothing  to  con- 
tend against,  and  when  there  is  no  heat  in  the  body  there  is 
nothing  to  kindle;  in  either  case,  therefore,  this  medicine  is  si- 
lent and  harmless.     It  is  calculated  to  remove  the  cause  and 
no  more,  as  food  removes  hunger,  and  drink  thirst.   It  clears 
all  obstructions  to  the  extremities,  without  regard  to  names 
of  di.sease,  until   it  produces  an   equilibrium  in  the  system, 
and  will  be  felt  in  the  fingers  and  toes,  producing  a  prickling 
feeling  like  that  caused  by  a  knock  of  the  elljow;  this  symp- 
tom is  alarming  to  those   unacquainted    with   its  operation; 
but  is  always  favorable,  being  a  certain  indication  of  the  turn 
of  the  disorder,  and  they  generally  gain  from  that  time. 

In  regard  to  the  quantity  to  be  given  as  a  do.se,  it  is  mat- 
ter of  less  consequence  than  is  generally  imagined.  The 
mo.st  important  thing  is  to  give  enough  to  produce  the  de- 


i 


I 


;  i 


/.'(>/. I \/(  I  wni.  Y  I'll)  sin.  I  \.  411 

sirwl  elTfit.  If  t«M>  little  is  KJveii.  it  will  worry  tht  patient, 
mid  (In  little  k">'«1;  il  inote  is  niveii  than  what  is  iieeessary, 
the  suriilus  will  l)e  thrown  oflf,  and  is  a  waste  of  nie<!icine  1 
have  jjiven  direetioiis  what  I  consider  as  a  proper  dose  in 
c«)mnu)n  cases  of  the  different  preparations,  l)ut  still  it  nuisl 
l)e  left  to  the  jnd^jnient  of  those  wl.o  nse  it  how  much  to 
give.  The  most  safe  wa>  will  he  to  ^ive  the  smallest  pre 
scribed  dose  first,  then  repeat  it  till  it  produce  the  wished 
operation.  In  cases  where  the  stomach  is  cold  and  very 
ftml.  its  operation  will  he  slow  and  uncertain:  in  which  case 
give  No.  J,  which  will  assist  it  in  doiiijr  its  work.  See  also 
under  general  directions  in  curing  or  i)revcuting  disease. 

When  this  medicine  is  given  to  patients  that  are  in  a  de- 
cline, or  are  laboring  under  a  disease  of  long  standing,  the 
syniploms  indicating  a  crisis  will  not  take  i)lace  till  they  have 
been  carried  through  from  three  to  eight  courses  of  the  med- 
icine; and  the  lower  they  have  been  the  more  alarming  will 
be  the  symptoms.  I  Inve  seen  some  wlio  would  lie  and  sol) 
like  a  child  wh<i  had  l>een  punished,  'or  two  hours,  not  able 
to  speak  or  to  raise  their  hand  to  their  head;  and  the  next 
day  be  abcmt,  and  soon  get  well.  In  cases  where  they  have 
taken  con.siderableopiuu!,  and  this  medicine  is  adi'iiui.itcrcd, 
it  will  in  its  operation  jiroduce  the  same  appearances  anc' 
symptoms  that  are  produced  by  opium  when  first  given,  which, 
having  laid  dormant,  is  nmsed  into  action  by  the  enlivening 
qualities  of  this  medicine,  and  they  will  be  thrown  into  a 
sen.seless  state:  the  whole  .sy.stem  will  i)e  one  complete  ma.ss 
of  confusion,  tumbling  in  every  direction:  will  take  two  or 
three  to  hold  them  on  the  bed;  they  grow  cold  as  though  d\- 
ing,  remaining  in  this  way  from  two  to  eight  hours,  and  then 
awake,  like  one  from  sleep  after  a  good  night's  rest,  be  en- 
tirely calm  and  sensible,  as  though  nothing  had  ailed  them. 
It  is  seldom  they  ever  have  more  than  one  of  tliese  turns,  as 
it  is  the  last  struggle  of  the  disease,  and  they  generally  begin 
to  recover  from  that  time.  I  have  been  more  particular  in 
describing  these  effects  of  the  medicine,  as  they  are  ver>' 
alarming  to  tho.se  unacquainted  with  them,  in  order  to  show 
that  there  is  no  danger  to  be  apprehended,  as  it  is  certain 
evidence  of  a  favorable  turn  of  the  di.sea.se. 


i«fB*j«ff»vW(W5*'^™"f^*»'^**^J!»*»'-SK=fi>«t**«T:"fi»S^ 


30    '*  .\/:\r  (.r //)/■:  n)  healtji:  on. 

Tlie  Emetic  Herb  is  of  great  value  in  preventing  sickness 
as  well  as  curing  it.  B\-  taking  a  dose  when  first  attacked  by 
any  complaint  it  will  throw  it  off,  and  frequently  prevent 
long  sickness.  It  not  only  acts  as  an  emetic,  and  throws  off 
the  stomach  everything  that  nature  does  not  require  for  sup- 
port of  the  system,  but  extends  its  effects  to  every  part  of 
the  body.  It  is  searchitig,  enlivening,  (juickening,  and  has 
a  great  power  in  removing  all  obstructions;  but  it  soon  ex- 
hausts itself,  and  if  not  followed  by  some  other  medicine  to 
hold  the  vital  heat  till  nature  is  able  to  support  itself  by  di- 
gesting the  food,  it  will  not  be  sufficient  to  remove  a  disea.se 
that  has  become  .seated.  To  effect  this  important  object  put 
me  to  much  trou!)le,  and  after  trying  man>-  experiments  to 
get  .something  that  would  answer  the  purpo.se,  I  found  that 
what  is  described  under  No.  2  was  the  best  and  only  medi- 
cine I  have  a  knowledge  of  that  would  hold  the  heat  in  the 
.stomach  and  not  evaporate;  and  by  giving  No.  3  to  remove 
the  canker,  which  is  the  great  cause  ofdisea.se,  and  then  fol- 
lowing with  Nos.  4  and  5  to  correct  the  bile,  restore  the  di- 
gestion, and  strengthen  the  system,  I  have  had  little  trouble 
in  effecting  a  cure.  For  directions  for  preparing,  etc. ,  see 
further  on  in  this  work. 


m<Ks 


tJtt 


No.  3.— Vo  retain  the  internal  vital  heat  of  the  system  and  cause 
a  free  perspiration. 

CAYENNE.— Capsicum. 

This  article  being  so  well  known,  it  will  be  unnecessary 
to  be  very  particular  in  describing  it.  It  has  been  a  long 
time  used  for  culinar\-  purpo.ses,  and  comes  to  us  prepared 
for  use  by  being  ground  to  powder,  and  a  proportion  of  salt 
mixed  with  it;  this  destroys  in  some  degree  its  .stimulating 
effects  and  makes  it  less  pungent;  but  it  is  not  .so  good  for 
medicine  as  in  the  pure  state.  It  is  said  to  be  a  native  of 
South  America,  and  is  cultivated  in  many  of  the  West  India 
Islands.  That  which  comes  to  this  countr>-  is  brought  from 
Demarara  and  Jamaica.  It  also  g'ows  in  other  parts  of  the 
world.     I  once  bought  one  hundred  pounds  of  it  in  the  pod, 


^n\ 


inrj'.  \.\ii  ■  /■:  \mii.  ) ■  /<// )  sit  i.  ix.  .-)i 

wliich  was  brought  from  the  Coast  of  Ciuitiea:  had  it  Krouiid  at 
Portsmouth,  and  it  was  as  good  as  any  I  ever  used.  There  are 
several  species  that  are  described  tmder  the  name  of  Capsi- 
cum, all  of  which  are  about  the  same  as  to  their  stimulating 
qualities.  The  pods  only  are  u.sed;  they  are  long  and  pointed, 
are  of  a  green  color  till  ripe,  when  they  turn  of  a  bright  or- 
ange-red. When  the  pods  are  green  they  are  gathered  and 
preserved  in  salt  and  water  and  l)rought  to  this  country  in 
bottles,  when  vinegar  is  put  to  them,  which  is  .sold  under  the 
name  of  pepper-sauce.  The  ripe  pods  ground  to  :i  p(nvder 
are  what  is  u.sed  for  medicine  and  cooking;  but  the  pepper- 
sauce  is  vcr\-  good  to  be  taken  i-;  medicine  and  applied  ex- 
ternally; the  green  pods  hold  their  attracting  power  till  rijie, 
and  therefore  keep  their  strength  nnich  longer  when  jmt  in 
vinegar,  as  the  bonle  may  be  filled  up  a  number  of  times  and 
the  strength  seems  to  be  the  same:  but  when  the  ripe  pods 
are  put  in  vinegar,  the  first  time  will  take  nearly  all  the 
strength.  ^  .  _ 

I  shall  not  undertake  to  dispute  but  that  ca\enne  had 
been  used  for  medical  purposes  long  befon;  1  luui  any  knowl- 
edge of  it.  and  that  it  is  one  of  the  .safest  and  Ije.st  articles 
ever  discovered  to  remove  di.sease,  I  know  to  lie  a  fact,  from 
loi;g  experience;  but  it  is  equally  Irue  that  the  medical  fac- 
ulty never  considered  it  of  much  value,  and  the  people  had 
no  knowledge  of  it  as  a  medicine  till  I  introduced  it,  by  mak- 
ing u.se  of  it  in  my  practice.  Mention  is  made  of  cayenne 
in  the  Edinburgh  Dispensatory,  as  chiefly  employed  for  cul- 
inary purpo.ses,  but  that  of  late  it  has  been  emplojed  also  in 
the  practice  of  medicine.  The  author  .says  that  "  there  can 
be  little  doubt  that  it  furni.shes  one  of  the  pure.st  and  .strong- 
est .stimulants  which  can  be  introduced  into  the  stomach; 
while  at  the  same  time  it  has  nothing  of  the  narcotic  effects 
of  ardent  .spirits.  It  is  .said  to  have  been  u.sed  with  .succe.ss 
in  curing  some  cases  of  di.sea.se  that  had  re.si.sted  all  other 
remedies."  All  this  I  am  sati.sfied  is  true,  for  if  given  as  a 
medicine  it  always  will  be  found  useful;  but  all  the  knowl- 
edge they  had  of  it  .seems  to  have  been  derived  from  a  few 
experiments  that  had  been  made,  without  fixing  upon  an\- 
particular  manner  ofpreparing  or  admini.stering  it,  or  in  what 


\ /ill-  (.1  //)/■:  TO  iin.ii.ni;  oh. 


■■»  XL; 


disease,  as  is  the  case  with  all  other  articles  that  are  iiitro- 
ilucetl  into  general  practice.  InThacher's  Dispensatory,  the 
same  account  is  given  of  cayenne  as  in  the  Kdinburgh,  and 
in  almost  the  same  words. 

I  never  had  any  knowledge  of  cayenne  being  useful  as  a 
medicine,  or  that  it  had  ever  been  used  as  .such,  till  I  dis- 
covered it  by  accident,  as  has  been  the  case  with  most  other 
articles  used  by  me.  After  I  had  fixed  upon  a  system  for 
my  government  in  practice,  I  found  nujch  difficulty  in  get- 
ting .something  that  would  not  only  produce  a  strong  heat  in 
the  body,  but  would  retain  it  till  the  canker  could  lie  re- 
moved and  the  digestive  powers  restored,  so  that  the  food, 
by  being  properly  dige.sted,  would  maintain  the  natural  heat. 
I  tried  a  great  numlier  of  articles  that  were  of  a  hot  nature, 
but  could  find  tiothing  that  would  hold  the  heat  any  length 
of  time.  I  made  use  of  ginger,  mu.stard,  horseradish,  pep- 
permint, butternut  bark,  and  many  other  hot  things,  but 
they  were  all  more  or  less  volatile,  and  would  not  have  the 
desired  effect.  With  these,  however,  and  the  Emetic  Herb, 
together  with  the  aid  of  .steam,  I  was  enabled  to  practice 
with  pretty  general  ,succe.ss.  In  the  fall  of  the  year  1805,  1 
was  out  in  .search  of  Umbil  on  a  mountain  in  Walpole,  N. 
H.  I  went  into  a  house  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain  to  in- 
quire for  some  rattlesnake  oil.  While  in  the  house  I  saw  a 
large  string  of  red  peppers  hanging  in  the  room,  which  put 
me  in  mind  of  what  I  had  been  a  long  time  in  search  of  to 
retain  the  internal  heat.  I  knew  them  to  be  very  hot,  but 
did  not  know  of  what  nature.  I  obtained  these  peppers, 
carried  them  home,  reduced  them  to  powder,  and  took  some 
of  the  powder  myself,  and  foiuid  it  to  answer  the  purpose 
better  than  anything  else  I  had  made  use  of.  I  put  it  in 
spirit  with  the  Emetic  Herb,  and  gave  the  tincture  mixed 
in  a  tea  of  witch-hazel  leaves,  and  found  that  it  would  retain 
the  heat  in  the  stomach  after  puking,  and  preserve  the 
.strength  of  the  patient  in  proportion.  I  made  use  of  it  in 
different  ways  for  two  years,  and  always  with  good  success. 

In  the  fall  of  r8o8,  I  was  in  Newburyport,  and  saw  a 
bottle  of  pepper-sauce,  being  the  first  that  I  had  ever  .seen. 
I  bought  it  and  carried   it  home:  got  some  of  the  same  kind 


JU>r.l.\/C /■.I.U//.)-  /'//iS/C/.lX.  .-.:: 

of  pepper  that  was  dried,  which  I  put  itito  the  bottle;  this 
made  it  very  hot.  On  my  way  home,  was  taken  unwell, 
and  was  (juite  cold.  I  took  a  swallow  from  the  bottle,  which 
caased  violent  pain  for  a  few  minutes,  when  it  produced  per- 
spiration, and  I  soon  grew  easy.  I  afterwards  tried  it  and 
found  that  after  it  had  expelled  the  cold,  it  would  not  cause 
pain.  Krom  these  experiments  I  liecame  convinced  that 
this  kind  of  pepper  was  much  stronger,  and  would  be  better 
for  medical  u.se  than  the  conunon  red  pepper.  Soon  after 
this  I  was  again  in  Newburyport,  and  made  inquiry,  and 
found  some  cayenne,  but  it  was  prepared  with  salt  for  table 
use,  which  injured  it  for  medical  purposes.  I  tried  it  by 
ta.sting.  and  selected  that  which  had  the  least  .salt  in  it.  I 
afterwards  made  use  of  this  article  and  found  it  to  answer  all 
the  purpo.ses  wished,  and  was  the  very  thing  I  had  long  been 
in  search  of.  The  next  year  I  went  to  Portsmouth,  and 
made  inquiries  r;  --crn-ng  cayenne,  and  from  those  who 
dealt  in  the  anira  ' ' -arned  that  it  was  brought  to  this 
country  from  Denr  i  nd  Jamaica,  prepared  only  for  table 
use,  and  that  salt  ..^.^  put  with  it  to  preserve  it  and  make  it 
more  palatable.  I  became  acquainted  with  a  French  gentle- 
man who  had  a  brother  in  Demarara,  and  made  arrange- 
ments with  him  to  send  to  his  brother  and  request  him  to 
procure  some,  and  have  it  prepared  without  salt.  He  did  so, 
and  sent  out  a  box  containing  about  eighty  pounds  in  a  pure 
.state.  I  .sent  also  by  many  others  that  were  going  to  the 
places  where  it  grows  to  procure  all  they  could:  in  conse- 
quence of  which  large  quantities  were  imported  into  Ports- 
mouth, much  more  than  there  was  immediate  demand  for. 
I  was  not  able  to  purchase  but  a  small  part  of  what  was 
brought,  and  it  was  bought  up  by  others  on  speculation,  and 
sent  to  Baston.  The  consequence  was  that  the  price  was  so 
much  reduced  that  it  would  not  bring  the  first  co.st,  which 
put  a  stop  to  its  being  imported,  and  it  has  .since  bean  verj' 
.scarce. 

When  I  first  began  to  use  this  article  it  caused  much  talk 
among  the  people  in  Portsmouth  and  the  adjoining  towns. 
The  doctors  tried  to  frighten  them  by  telling  that  I  made  use 
of  cayenne  pepper  as  a  medicine,  and  that  it  would  burn  up 


!      : 


\ 


.-)4 


.\7:ir  (,///)/■:  ro  iii:.\i/rn:  oh\ 


the  stomach  and  hmgs  as  bad  as  vitriol.  The  people  gen- 
erally, however,  became  convinced  by  using  it  that  all  the 
doctors  said  about  it  was  false,  and  it  only  proved  their  ig- 
norance of  its  medicinal  virtues  and  their  malignity  towards 
me.  It  soon  came  into  general  use.  and  the  knowledge  of 
its  being  useful  in  curing  di.sease  was  spread  all  through  the 
country.  I  made  u.se  of  it  in  curing  the  spotted  fever,  and 
where  it  was  known,  it  was  the  only  thing  depended  on  for 
that  disease.  I  have  made  use  of  cayenne  in  all  kinds  of 
disease,  and  have  given  it  to  patients  of  all  ages  and  under 
every  circumstance  that  has  come  under  my  practice,  and 
can  assure  the  public  that  it  is  perfectly  harmless,  never 
having  known  it  to  produce  any  bad  effects  whatever.  It  is 
no  doubt  the  most  powerful  .stimulant  known;  its  power  is 
entirely  congenial  to  nature,  being  powerful  only  in  raising 
and  maintaining  that  heat  on  which  life  depends.  It  is  ex- 
tremely pungent,  and  when  taken  sets  the  mouth  as  it  were 
on  fire;  this  lasts,  however,  but  a  few  minutes,  and  I  consid- 
er it  essentially  a  benefit,  for  its  effects  on  the  glands  causes 
the  saliva  to  flow  freely  and  leaves  the  mouth  clean  and 
moist. 

The  only  preparation  necessary  is  to  have  it  ground  or 
pounded  to  a  fine  powder.  For  a  do.se,  from  half  to  a  tea- 
spoonful  may  be  taken  in  hot  water  sweetened,  or  the  same 
quantity  may  be  mixed  with  either  of  the  other  numbers 
when  taken.  It  will  produce  a  free  perspiration,  which 
should  be  kept  up  by  repeating  the  dose  until  the  disease  is 
removed.  A  spoonful,  with  an  equal  quantity  of  common 
.salt,  put  into  a  gill  of  vinegar,  makes  a  very  good  sauce  to 
be  eaten  on  meat,  and  will  assist  the  appetite  and  strengthen 
the  digesture.  One  spoonful  of  this  preparation  may  be  taken 
to  good  advantage,  and  will  remove  faint,  sinking  feelings, 
which  some  are  subject  to,  e.specially  in  the  spring  of  the 
year.  Pepper-sauce  is  good  for  the  same  purpose.  A  tea- 
spoonful  of  cayenne  pepper  may  be  taken  in  a  tumbler  of 
cider,  and  is  much  better  than  ardent  spirits.  There  is 
scarce  any  preparation  of  medicine  that  I  make  use  of  in 
which  I  do  not  put  .some  of  this  article.  It  will  cure  the 
ague  in  the  face,  by  taking  a  dose,  and  tying  a  small  quan- 


i;^ 


/i()7\i.\/c  F.LU/f.y  /'//y.s/r/.ix.  .-,.-, 

tity  ill  fine  cloth,  and  put  it  hetweeii  the  cheek  and  teeth, 
on  the  side  that  is  affected,  sittinj?  l)y  the  fire  coxered  with 
a  blanket.      It  is  good  to  put  on  old  sores. 

RED  PEPPERS. 

These  are  very  plenty  in  this  country,  being  cultivated  in 
gardens,  and  are  principal!)-  r.iade  use  of  for  pickling:  for 
which  ]Hirpo.se  the  ixxls  are  gathered  when  green,  and  pre- 
served in  vinegar.  It  is  of  the  .same  nature  as  cayeinie 
])epper,  but  not  so  .strong;  and  is  the  best  substitute  for  that 
article  of  anything  I  have  ever  found.  For  medical  u.se 
they  should  not  be  gathered  till  ripe,  when  they  are  of  a 
bright  red  color;  should  lie  reduced  to  a  fine  powder,  and 
may  be  used  in.stead  of  ca>enne,  when  that  article  cannot  be 
obtained. 

GINGER. 

This  is  a  root  which  is  brought  from  foreign  countries, 
and  is  too  well  known  to  need  any  furtlier  de.scription.  It  is 
a  very  good  article,  having  a  warniing  and  agreeable  effect 
on  the  stomach.  It  is  a  powerful  stimulant,  and  is  not 
volatile  like  many  other  hot  articles;  and  is  the  next  be.st 
thing  to  raise  the  inward  heat  and  promote  perspiration;  and 
may  be  u.sed  with  good  success  for  that  ])urpose,  as  a  sub- 
stitute for  cayeime,  when  that  or  the  red  peppers  cannot  Ix- 
had.  It  is  .sold  in  the  .sliops  ground,  but  is  sometimes 
mixed  with  the  other  articles  to  increase  the  quantity,  and  is 
not  .so  .strong.  The  best  wa\-  is  to  get  the  roots  and  grind 
or  pound  them  to  a  fine  powder.  The  do.se  must  be  regu- 
lated according  to  circumstances:  if  given  to  raise  the  internal 
heat  and  cause  perspiration,  it  nuistlie  repeated  till  it  has  the 
desired  effect.  It  makes  a  goo<l  poultice,  mixed  with  pounded 
cracker  or  .slippery-elm  bark,  for  which  I  make  much  use  of  it. 
To  keep  a  piece  of  the  root  in  the  mouth  and  chew  it  like 
tobacco,  swallowing  the  juice,  is  very  good  for  a  cough,  and 
those  of  a  consumptive  habit;  and  this  should  also  be  done 
by  all  who  are  exposed  to  any  contagion,  or  are  attending  on 
the  sick,  as  it  will  guard  the  .stomach  against  taking  the  dis- 


it 


!b>;.^,<.;i>?-**i.a.itEai%!fcS^^^_^ 


mt  w-;  //  •  (.1  •[/)/■:  to  hi:,  ii.  rii:  or. 

case.    It  mav  be  taken  in  hot  water,  sweetened,  or  in  a  tea  of 
No.  3. 

BLACK  PEPPER. 

This  may  be  used  to  good  advantage  as  a  substitute  for 
the  foregoing  articles  when  they  are  not  to  be  had,  and  may 
l)e  prepared  and  administered  in  the  .same  manner.  These 
four  that  I  have  mentioned  are  all  the  articles  that  I  have 
been  able  to  find  that  would  hold  the  heat  of  the  body  for 
any  length  of  time;  all  the  others  that  I  have  tried  are  so 
volatile  that  they  do  little  good.  See  under  directions  for 
preparing  and  using  vegetable  medicine. 


No.  3.— To  scour  the  Stomach  and  Bowels,  and  remove  the 

Canker. 

Under  this  head  I  shall  describe  such  vegetable  produc- 
tions as  are  good  for  canker,  and  which  I  have  found  to  be 
best  in  removing  the  thrush  from  the  throat,  stomach  and 
bowels  cau.sed  by  cold,  and  there  will  be  more  or  less  of  it  in 
all  cases  of  di.sease ;  for  when  cold  gets  the  power  over  the 
inward  heat,  the  stomach  and  bowels  become  coated  with 
canker,  which  prevents  those  numerous  little  vessels  calcu- 
lated to  nourish  the  sy.stem  from  performing  their  duty.  A 
cure,  therefore,  cannot  be  effected  without  removing  this 
difficulty;  which  must  be  done  by  such  things  as  are  best 
calculated  to  scour  off  the  canker  and  leave  the  juices  flowing 
free.  There  are  many  articles  which  are  good  for  this,  but  I 
.shall  mention  only  such  as  I  have  found  to  be  the  best.  Sev- 
eral things  that  are  used  for  canker  are  too  binding,  and  do 
more  hurt  than  good,  as  they  cau,se  obstructions.  I  have 
adopted  a  rule  to  a.scertain  what  is  good  for  canker,  which  I 
have  found  very  useful,  and  shall  here  give  it  as  a  guide  for 
others;  that  is,  to  chew  some  of  the  article,  and  if  it  causes 
the  saliva  to  flow  freely,  and  leaves  the  mouth  cleai 
moist,  it  is  good;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  if  it  dries  up  th 
juices,  and  leaves  the  mouth  rough  and  dr>%  it  is  bad,  an( 
should  be  a\-oided. 


11 


nor.ixic  hWMii.v  rffvs/c/.ix. 

BAYBERRY. OR  CANDLEBERRY 


A7 


This  is  a  species  of  the  myrtle,  from  which  wax  is  ol)- 
tained  from  the  berries,  and  }j;r()ws  common  in  many  parts 
of  this  country.  It  is  a  shrub  growing  from  two  to  four  feet 
high,  and  is  easil\-  known  1)>-  the  iK'rries  vvhidi  it  produces 
ainiually,  containing  wax  in  abundance.  The.se  grow  cm  the 
branches  clcse  to  them,  similar  to  the  juniper.  The  leaves  are 
of  a  deep  green.  The  bark  of  the  roots  is  what  is  used  for 
medicine,  and  should  be  collected  in  the  spring,  before  it 
puts  forth  its  leaves,  or  in  the  fall,  after  done  growing,  as 
then  the  .sap  is  in  the  roots:  this  should  be  attended  to  in 
gathering  all  kind'-  of  medicinal  roots;  but  those  things  that 
the  tops  are  u.sed  should  be  collected  in  the  summer  when 
nearly  full  grown,  as  then  the  .sap  is  in  the  top.  The  roots 
should  be  dug  and  cleaned  from  the  dirt,  and  pounded  with  a 
mallet  or  club,  when  the  bark  is  easily  separated  from  the 
stalk,  and  may  be  obtained  with  little  trouble.  It  should  be 
dried  in  a  chamber  or  loft,  where  it  is  not  exposed  to  the 
weather;  and, when  perfectly  dry,  should  be  ground  or  pound- 
ed to  a  fine  powder.  It  is  an  excellent  medicine,  either  taken 
by  itself  or  compoiuided  with  other  articles;  and  is  the  best 
thing  for  catiker  of  any  article  I  have  ever  found.  It  is 
highly  stimulating  and  very  pungent,  pricking  the  glands 
and  causing  the  .saliva  and  other  juices  to  flow  freely.  Is 
good  used  as  tooth  powder,  clean.ses  the  teeth  and  gums,  and 
removes  the  scurvy.  Taken  as  snuff,  it  clears  the  head  and 
relieves  the  headache.  It  may  be  given  to  advantage  in  a 
relax,  and  all  disorders  of  the  bowels.  When  the  stomach 
i.s  very  foul,  it  will  frequently  operate  as  an  emetic.  For  a 
dose,  take  a  teaspoonful  in  hot  water,  sweetened. 


;» ■  .1 


ii 


WHITE  POND  LILY.— The  Root. 

This  is  well  known  from  the  beautiful  flower  which  it 
bears,  opening  only  to  the  sun,  and  closing  again  at  night. 
It  grows  in  fresh-water  ponds,  and  is  common  in  all  parts  of 
this  country  where  I  have  l)een.  The  best  time  to  gather  it 
is  in  the  fall  of  the  year,  when  dry,   and  the  water  in  the 


fa 
11.11 


■)« 


x/iir  a  //)/■:  ro  ///■:.  t/.r//.  oa; 


|M)ii(Is  low,  as  it  111  ly  thtii  he  ohtnined  with  little  difficulty. 
It  has  larjfc  r(X)ts,  which  should  I)t  duK,  washed  cleau,  split 
into  strips,  and  dried,  as  has  been  directed  for  the  bayberry 
root  l)ark.  When  perfectly  dry,  it  shouUl  be  pounded  in  a 
mortar,  and  preserved  for  use.  This  article  is  a  very  j'-ood 
medicine  for  canker,  and  all  complaints  of  the  bowels,  gucn 
in  a  tea  alone,  or  mixed  with  other  articles. 

HEMLOCK-The  Inner  Bark. 

This  is  the  common  hemlock  tree,  and  grows  in  all  parts 
of  New  Knglaiid.  The  best  for  medicine  is  to  peel  the  bark 
from  the  young  tree,  and  shave  the  ross  from  the  outside, 
and  preserve  only  the  inner  rind;  dr>'  it  carefully,  and 
pound  or  grind  it  to  a  powder.  A  tea  made  by  putting  boil- 
ing water  to  this  bark  is  a  good  medicine  for  canker,  and 
many  other  complaints.  The  first  of  my  using  hemlock 
bark  as  medicine  was  in  1814.  Being  in  want  of  .something 
for  canker,  I  tried  some  of  it  by  chewing,  and  found  it  to 
answer,  and  made  use  of  it  to  gootl  advantage.  Since  then, 
have  Ijeen  in  constant  use  of  it,  and  have  always  found  it  a 
very  good  medicine,  both  for  canker  and  other  complaints  of 
the  bowels  and  stomach.  A  tea  made  of  this  bark  is  very 
good,  and  may  be  used  freely;  it  is  good  to  give  the  emetic 
and  No.  2  in,  and  may  be  u.sed  for  drink  in  all  cases  of 
sickness,  especially  when  going  through  a  course  of  medi- 
cine and  steaming.  This,  with  bayberry  bark  and  the  lily 
root,  forms  No.  3,  or  what  has  been  commonly  called  coflFee, 
though  man>-  other  things  may  be  added,  or  either  of  them 
may  be  used  to  advantage  alone.  The  boughs,  made  into  a 
tea,  are  very  good  for  gravel  and  other  ob.structions  of  the 
urinary  pas.sages,  and  for  rheumatism. 

MARSH  ROSEMARY— The  Root. 

This  article  is  very  well  known  in  all  parts  of  this  coun- 
try, and  has  been  made  u.se  of  for  canker  and  sore  mouth.  I 
have  made  use  of  it  with  bayberry  bark  as  No.  3,  in  my 
practice  for  many  years  with  good  success;  but  after  find- 
ing that  the  lily  root  and  hemlock  bark  were  better,  have 


m 


__T_ 


//(>/•. i\/( •  /•: \.\iii.  y  I'liisni. /.v.  v.t 

mostly  laid  it  aside.     It  is  so  binding  in  its  nature  that  it  is 
not  safe  to  use  it  without  a  large  proportion  of  bayl)erry  bark. 

SUMACH— The  Bark,  Leaves  and  Berries. 

This  appears  to  be  a  new  article  in  medicine,  entirely  un- 
known to  the  medical  faculty,  as  no  mention  is  made  of  it  b\ 
any  author.  The  first  of  my  knowledge  that  it  was  good  for 
canker  was  when  at  Onirn  River,  in  1807,  attending  the  dys- 
entery. Being  in  wan  'methingtoclear  the  .stomach  and 
bowels  in  that  complaint,  found  that  the  bark,  leaves  orl)er 
ries  answered  the  purpose  extremely  well,  and  I'ave  made 
much  u.se  of  it  ever  since.  It  is  well  known,  ai;.l  is  found  in 
all  parts  of  the  country;  some  of  it  grows  from  eight  to  twelve 
feet  high,  and  has  large  .spreading  branches;  the  berries  grow 
in  l^rge  bunches,  and  when  ripe  are  a  deep  red  color,  of  a 
pleasant  .sour taste;  and  are  used  by  the  country  people  to 
dye  with.  The  leaves  and  young  .sprouts  are  made  use  of  in 
tanning  morocco  leather.  For  medicine,  the  bark  slumld  be 
peeled  when  full  of  .sap,  the  leaves  when  full  grown,  and 
the  berries  when  ripe;  they  should  be  carefully  dried,  and 
when  used  as  part  of  No.  3  .should  be  pounded,  and  may  be 
used  altogether,  or  either  separate.  A  tea  made  of  either  or 
altogether  is  very  good,  and  may  be  given  with  safety  in  al- 
most all  complaints,  or  put  into  the  injections.  It  will  scour 
the  stomach  and  bowels,  and  is  good  for  .strangury ,  as  it 
promotes  urine  and  relieves  difficulties  in  the  kidneys  by  re- 
moving obstructions  and  strengthening  those  parts.  I  have 
been  in  the  habit  of  late  years  of  making  use  of  this  article 
with  bayberry  bark  and  lily  root,  or  hemlock  bark,  equal 
parts,  for  No.  3,  or  coffee,  and  it  has  always  answered  a  good 
purpo.se. 

WITCH-HAZEL-The  Leaves. 

I  found  the  use  of  this  article  as  medicine  when  I  was 
quite  young,  and  have  made  much  use  of  it  in  all  my  prac- 
tice. It  is  too  well  known  in  the  country  to  need  any  de- 
.scription;  is  a  small  tree  or  bush,  and  grows  very  common, 
especially  in  new  land.  A  tea  made  of  the  leaves  is  an  ex- 
cellent medicine  in  many  complaints,  and  may  be  freely  u.sed 


■ku 


-I  * 


<     a 


^m:": 


Ml 


A/.;/  (; I  //)/■:  lo  iii   u.  ///.  ok. 


to  lulvantajje.  It  is  the  best  tiling  for  hlecdii)^  at  tlie  stom- 
ach of  any  article  I  have  ever  found,  either  by  K'viiiK  a  tea 
made  of  the  dry  leaves,  or  chewing  them  wlu-ti  Kreeii:  have 
cure<l  several  with  it.  This  complaint  is  caused  by  catikcr 
eatin{![  off  the  small  blood  vessels,  and  this  medicine  will  re- 
move the  canker  and  stoj)  the  bleeding;.  I  have  made  much 
use  of  the  tea,  mnde  strong  for  injections,  and  found  it  in  all 
complaints  of  the  Iniwels  to  be  very  serviceable.  An  injec 
tion  made  of  this  tea,  with  a  little  of  No.  2,  is  >{ood  for  the 
piles,  and  many  com]>laints  common  to  females;  and  in  l)ear- 
iuK-down  pains  it  will  afford  innnediate  relief,  if  proiierly  ad 
ministered.  Tlie.se  leaves  may  be  used  in  No.  .<  to  good  ad- 
vantage, as  a  substitute  for  either  of  the  other  articles,  or 
alone  for  the  same  purpo.se. 

RED  RASPBERRY- The  Leaves. 

This  is  an  excellent  article,  and  I  l>elieve  was  never  made 
use  of  as  medicine  till  discovered  by  mc.  When  at  Kastport, 
I  had  no  article  with  me  good  for  canker,  and  resorted  to  m>' 
old  rule  of  tasting,  and  found  that  these  leaves  were  good  for 
that  complaint;  made  into  a  strong  tea,  it  answered  every 
purpose  wi.shed.  I  gathered  a  large  quantity  of  the  leaves, 
and  dried  them,  and  have  been  in  constant  use  of  it  as  a 
medicine  ever  since,  and  have  found  it  an  excellent  article, 
l)oth  for  canker  and  many  other  complaints;  for  relax  and 
other  bowel  complaints  of  children,  it  is  the  liest  thing  that  I 
have  found;  by  giving  the  tea  and  using  it  in  the  injections, 
it  affords  innnediate  relief.  A  tea  made  of  the  leaves,  sweet- 
ened, with  milk  in  it,  is  very  pleasant,  and  may  be  used 
freely.  It  is  the  liest  thing  for  women  in  travail  of  any  u.- 
ticle  I  know  of.  Give  a  strong  tea  of  it,  with  a  little  of  No. 
2,  sweetened,  and  it  will  regulate  everything  as  nature  re- 
quires. If  the  pains  are  untimely,  it  will  make  all  quiet;  if 
timely  and  lingering,  give  more  No.  2  and  Unibil  in  the  tea. 
When  the  child  is  borti,  give  it  .some  of  the  tea  with  .sugar 
and  milk  in  it;  this  prevents  sore  mouth,  and  the  tea  is  good 
to  wash  sore  nipples  with.  A  poultice  made  with  this  tea 
and  cracker,  or  slipperj'-elm  bark,  is  very  good  for  burns  or 
scalds;  if  the  skin  is  off,  by  applying  this  poultice  or  wash- 


■  ■  -'■•■••-i'--"-  - 


imi.  i.\/i •  /•.  /.I///. )   I'insu  I. /.v.  HI 

iiijj  Willi  the  tea.  it  will  harden  ami  stop  smarting  It  may 
be  used  in  Ni>.  3  as  a  substitute  tor  iither  articles,  or  alone, 
to  ^(Mjd  efTeet. 

SQUAW-WEED    Indian  Name,  Cocash. 

This  is  known  in  the  country  by  the  name  ot"  frost  weed , 
or  meadow  scabish;  it  is  a  wild  weed,  and  ^jrows  in  wetland, 
by  the  sides  of  briM)ks;  it  has  a  stalk  that  grows  fom-  or  fi\e 
feet  hij;h,  which  is  rough  and  wooly,  with  a  narrow  leaf;  and 
l)ears  a  blue  blossom  late  in  the  fall,  w  hich  remains  till  the 
frost  kills  it.  The  root  lives  thnmgh  tlie  winter,  and  in  the 
spring  juits  forth  a  new  stalk;  the  leaves  at  the  bottcmi  re- 
main green  thnmgh  the  winter.  The  roots  and  to])  are  used 
for  medicine.  It  has  a  fragrant  taste  and  .smell  like  lovage. 
It  was  the  first  thing  I  ever  knew  u.scd  for  canker,  and  was 
given  to  me  when  I  had  the  cajiker-rash,  being  considered 
then  the  best  article  known  for  canker.  I  have  frequently 
u.sed  it  for  that  complaint  and  found  it  very  good.  Take  the 
green  roots  and  leaves,  brui.se  them,  and  pour  on  hot  water; 
give  this  tea  sweetened.  Ik  may  Ix;  kept  bv  iulding  a  little 
spirit,  and  is  good  for  rheumati.sm  and  nervous  affections.  It 
is  perfectly  harmless,  and  maybe  u.sed  freely.  It  makes  a 
very  good  bitter,  tinctured  with  hot  water  and  spirit  and  is 
goo<l  for  dizzine.ss  and  cold  hands  and  feet.  See  under 
directions  for  preparing  and  using  vegetable  medicine. 


'    jfl 


;  iS 


No.  4.— Bitters,  to  correct  the  Bile  and  restore  Digestion. 

BITTER  HERB,  or  BALMONY. 

This  herb  grows  in  wet  mowing  land,  by  the  side  of 
brooks.  It  is  about  the  size  of  mint,  the  leaves  .some  larger; 
the  stalk  is  four  square;  the  leaves  are  of  a  dark  green,  of  a 
sweeti,sh  bitter  ta.ste.  It  bears  a  white  blo.s,soni  of  singular 
fonn,  resembling  a  .snake's  head  with  the  mouth  open.  This 
herb  is  very  good  to  correct  the  bile,  and  create  an  appetite. 
A  tea  of  it  may  be  used  alone,  or  it  may  be  added  to  the 
other  articles  de.scribed  under  this  luunber.  which  are  all 
calculated  to  restore  the  dige^'ive  powers. 


m 


A/:  II  (;///)/■■  /■()  HI  .11.111;  oh\ 

POPLAR  BARK. 


I 


TIktc  lire  several   H|H.t-ifs  of  tlic   poplar  trtr  that  Krow 
coiiimoti  in  this  country.     <  )ir'  kind  is  callw!  tiit-  white  pop 
lar,  ami   anotlicr  stinking  poplar.     The  harks  of  l.otli  these 
kinds  are  ^ood  for  niedioine;  hut  the  latter  is  the  best,  heinn 
the  most   hitter      It  has  ta^'s  hanxinK  on  the  linihs,  wliioii 
remain  on  till  it  leaves  out,  whieh  is  alxnit  a  week  later  than 
the  other  kind.      It   has  short    brittle   twi^s.   which  are  ex- 
tremely hitter  to  the  taste.      The  iimer  hark  Kiveii  in  tea  is 
one  of  the  l)tsl   articles   to  rcK'uIate  the  bile  and  restore  the 
digestive  powers  of  anything'  I  have  ever  u.sed.     The  hark 
may  be  taken  from   the   body   of  the  tree,  the  Iind)s  or  the 
riK)ts,    and    the   outside    shaved  off.        Preserve    the    imier 
bark,  which  should  be  dried  and  carefully  preserved  for  use. 
To  make  the  bitters  No.  4,  it  .should  be  pounded  or  ground 
fine,  and  mixed  with  the  other  articles,   or  it  may  Ik.-  used 
alone  for  the  .same  puriM)se.      To  make  a  tea.  take  a  handful 
of  the  bark,  pounded  or  cut  into  .small  strips,  and  put  into  a 
(|uart   mug.  and   fill  it  with    boiling  water.     This,  if  taken 
freely,  will  relieve  a  relax,   headache,  faintne.ss  at  the  stom- 
ach, and  many    other   complaints  caused  by  bad  digestion. 
Is  good  for  obstructions  of  the  urine,   and  weakness  in  the 
loins;  and  those  of  a  consumptive  haliit  will  find  great  relief 
in  using  this  tea  freely. 

BARBERRY.    The  Bark. 

This  is  a  well-known  shrub,  producing  red  berries,  of  a 
pleasant  .sour  taste,  which  are  much  u.sed  as  a  pickle,  and 
are  also  preserved  with  sugar  or  molasses.  The  bark  of  the 
root  or  top  is  a  good  bitter,  and  useful  to  correct  the  bile  and 
a.ssi.st  the  digesture.  The  bark  .should  be  collected  at  the 
proper  season,  and  carefully  dried  and  pounded  or  ground  to 
fine  powder.  It  is  used  as  a  part  of  the  bitters  No.  4.  A  tea 
made  of  this  bark  is  very  gcKxl  for  all  cases  of  indigestion, 
and  may  lie  freely  u.sed. 

BITTER-ROOT,  or  WANDERING  MILK-WEED. 

This  valuable  vegetable  grows  in  meadows  and  in  hedg- 
es, and  in  appearance  is  .something  like  buckwheat,   having 


/i(>r.l.\7t    /  .  /.I///.  )    /•//)>/(  /.  /.\ .  DH 

.similar  wliilc  hhissums;  wlitii  Ihc  stalk  is  Itinktii  it  dis 
charges  a  milky  suhstaiuf:  it  has  two  Hiuall  |h>(Is  alM>ut  thu 
size  of  thf  i-ahhaKf  seid  |k»<Is,  with  a  silk\  sul)staiicf.  This 
lii-rl)  is  waiidcriiiK,  fliat  is.  the  roots  run  alM)iU  uiidtr  urouinl 
to  a  foiisidcralilc  distance  and  pnKliu-f  many  stalks,  which 
Krow  up  from  difftTciit  parts  of  tin.  root  to  tlif  liciKht  of 
about  two  feet.  The  kind  that  i",  roniiiionls  known  In  the 
name  of  wandering  milk-weed  Krows  oidy  on  U|)lan(l.  There 
is  another  kii\d  which  j^rows  near  rivers  and  on  islands  where 
hi>(h  water  flows  over  it;  this  differs  some  from  the  other  in 
api)earance:  the  roots  run  deep  in  tlie>.iiid;  it  has  leaves  and 
IkmIs  like  the  first,  and  both  are  K^>"''  'or  medicine.  The 
hark  of  the  root  is  used.  The  uhAs  .should  be  duK  and  dried, 
and  when  perfectly  dr>-  may  be  pounded  in  a  mortar,  when 
the  bark  is  ea.sil\-  .separated  from  the  womly  part.  Tliisroot 
is  very  bitter,  and  is  one  of  the  greatest  correctors  of  the  bile 
I  know  of,  antl  is  an  excellent  medicine  to  remove  costive 
ness,  as  it  will  cause  the  bowels  to  move  in  a  natural  man 
ner.  A  strong;  decoction  of  this  root,  made  by  steeping  it  in 
hot  water,  if  drank  freely  will  operate  as  a  cathartic,  and 
sometimes  as  an  emetic,  and  is  most  sure  to  throw  off  a  fever 
in  its  first  ^stages.  It  should  be  u.sed  in  all  cases  of  costive- 
ness. 

GOLDEN  SEAL,  or  OHIO  KERCUMA.    The  Root. 


This  article  >i[rows  only  in  the  Western  countrs .  I  am 
not  well  enough  acquainted  with  the  herb  to  gixe  a  descrip- 
tion of  it;  l)ut  of  the  medicinal  virtues  of  the  root  I  have  had  a 
sufficient  experience  to  recommend  it  as  a  very  plea.sant  bit- 
ter, and  in  cases  where  the  food  in  the  stomach  of  weak  pa- 
tients causes  distress,  a  teaspoonful  of  the  powder  given  in 
hot  water,  sweetened,  will  give  immediate  relief.  It  is  an  ex- 
cellent corrector  of  the  bile,  and  may  be  used  for  that  pur 
po.se  alone,  or  with  the  bitter  root,  or  may  Ix;  compounded 
with  either  or  all  the  articles  described  under  this  nundier, 
to  restore  the  digestive  powers.  See  under  directions  for  ;.'.^e- 
paring  and  asing  vegetable  medicine. 

The  purpo.se   for  which  the  articles  described  under  this 
head  are   used  is  to  regulate  the  .stomacli,  so  that  the  food 


84         ''  NliWCriDE  TO  HEALTH;  Ol'!, 

taken  into  it  may  be  properly  digested;  and  I  have  men- 
tioned enough  to  enable  those  who  make  use  of  the  practice 
to  effect  that  object,  if  properly  attended  to.  This  is  a  ver\- 
important  part  of  the  system  of  practice,  for  unless  the  food 
is  digested,  it  is  impossible  to  keep  up  that  heat  upon  which 
life  depends.  ,  _ 


lir 


,    SI 


No.  5.— Syrup  for  the  Dysentery,  to  Strengthen  the  Stomach 
and  Bowels,  and  Restore  Weak  Patients. 

The  articles  used  in  this  preparation  are  the  bark  of  pop- 
lar and  bay  berry,  which  have  been  described,  peach  meats, 
or  meats  of  cherry  stones,  sugar  and  brandy. 

PEACH  MEATS. 

The  meats  that  are  in  the  peach  stones  have  long  been 
used  as  medicine,  and  need  but  little  to  be  said  about  them, 
except  that  they  are  of  great  value  to  .strengthen  the  .stomach 
and  bowels,  and  restore  the  digesture;  for  which  purpose  I 
have  made  much  use  of  them,  and  always  to  good  advantage. 
Made  into  a  cordial,  with  other  articles,  in  the  manner  as 
will  be  hereafter  directed,  form  one  of  the  be.st  remedies  I 
know  of  to  recover  the  natural  tone  of  the  stomach  after  long 
sickness,  and  to  restore  weak  patients,  particularly  in  dysen- 
tery. A  tea  made  of  the  leaves  of  the  peach  tree  is  very 
good  for  bowel  complaints  in  children  and  young  people,  and 
will  remove  colic. 

CHERRY  STONES. 

The  meats  of  the  wild  cherry  stones  are  very  good,  and 
may  be  u.sed  instead  of  the  peach  meats,  wlien  they  cannot 
be  had.  Get  the.se  stones  as  clean  as  possible,  and  when  well 
dried,  pound  them  in  a  mortar,  and  separate  the  meats  from 
the  stones,  which  is  done  with  little  trouble;  take  the  .same 
quantity  as  is  directed  of  the  peach  meats,  and  it  will  answer 
equally  as  well.  A  tea  made  of  the  cherries,  pounded  with 
the  stones,  and  steeped  in  hot  water  sweetened  with  loaf  su- 
gar, to  which  add  a  little  brandy,  is  good  to  restore  the  di- 
gestive powers  and  create  an  appetite. 


'  /lor.i.y/c  J\L\///.y  /'j/)s/c/.i\.  or, 

Bitter  almonds  may  he  used  as  a  substitute  for  the  peach 

meats   or   clierry  stones,    when    they  cannot  lie   liad.     See 

under  directions  for  preparing  and  usinj?  vegetable  medicine. 

No.  6 — Rheumatic  Drops,  to  Remove  Pain,  Prevent 'Mortifica- 
tion, and  Promote  a  Natural  Heat. 

The  principal  articles  used  in  this  preparation  are  high 
wines,  or  fourth-proof  brandy,  gum  myrrh  and  cayenne;  for 
external  application  spirits  of  turpentine  are  added,  and  some- 
times gum  camphor.  The  manner  of  preparing  will  be  here- 
after given. 

GUM  MYRRH. 

This  is  a  gum  obtained  from  a  tree  which  grows  in  the 
East  Indies,  and  is  brought  to  this  country  and  sold  by  the 
apothecaries  for  medicinal  uses:  there  is  nothing  sold  by 
them  that  po.sse.sses  more  u.seful  and  medicinal  properties 
than  this  article,  though  the  doctors  seem  to  have  but  little 
knowledge  of  its  virtues.  All  those  whom  I  have  heard  ex- 
press an  opinion  upon  it,  consider  it  of  very  little  value. 
When  I  obtained  my  patent.  Dr.  Thornton,  the  clerk  of  the 
Patent  Office,  said  it  wa.s  good  for  nothing;  all  this,  howev- 
er, does  not  lessen  its  value.  The  first  knowledge  I  had  of 
it  was  when  I  was  laid  up  with  my  lame  ankle  at  Onion 
River,  as  has  been  before  related  in  my  narrative.  An  old 
man  from  Canada,  passing  that  way.  and  hearing  of  nix- 
case,  called  to  .see  me,  and,  observing  the  putrid  state  I  was 
in,  told  my  father  that  gum  myrrh  would  be  good  foi  me,  as 
it  was  an  excellent  article  to  prevent  mortification.  He  im- 
mediately obtained  some  of  the  tincture,  and  not  having  a 
.syringe,  he  took  some  in  his  mouth  and  .squirted  it  through 
a  quill  into  the  wound;  the  smarting  was  severe  for  a  short 
time.  By  tasting  it  himself  and  finding  it  a  pleasant  bitter. 
he  gave  me  .some  to  take;  by  using  it,  there  was  a  favorable 
alteration  both  in  my  bodily  health  and  in  the  .state  of  m\- 
wound.  After  this  I  had  great  faith  in  this  article,  and  was 
seldom  without  it.  When  I  ca":c  to  have  a  family,  I  made 
much  u.se  of  myrrh;  it  was  one  of  the  principal  articles  used 
in  restoring  my  wife  when  given  o\er  by  the  midwife,  as  re- 


fl«t      ■■'  .\i:u(:iini:ronh:.\i.rii;Ok\ 

lated  in  my  narrative.  In  several  cases  of  bad  wounds  and 
old  sores,  it  afforded  great  relief;  and  in  what  the  doctors  call 
worm  complaints  in  children,  by  Kiving  the  tincture  when 
such  symptoms  appeared,  it  removed  them.  I  used  it  at  this 
time  1)y  making  a  tincture  with  spirit;  but  after  having  a 
knowledge  of  cayenne,  I  put  .some  of  tliis  with  it.  which 
made  it  nutch  better.  I  found  out  by  accident  that  boiling 
it  would  prevent  the  fumes  of  the  spirit  from  rising  to  the 
head,  which  would  otherwise,  in  .some  cases,  produce  Ixid 
effects,  particularly  in  .such  as  were  .subject  to  hy.sterical  af- 
fection. This  was  the  origin  of  m\-  rlieumatic  drops,  a  prep- 
aration which  has  ])roved  more  generally  useful  than  any  one 
compound  I  make  u.se  of.  In  selecting  myrrh  for  use,  take 
that  of  a  light  brown  color,  .somewhat  transparent,  and  of  a 
bitter  taste,  a  little  pungent.  It  should  be  reduced  to  a  fine 
powder  by  being  pounded  in  a  mortar  before  being  used. 

SPIRIT  OF  TURPENTINE. 

Tliis  article  is  too  well  known  to  need  any  description,  be- 
ing used  l)y  painters.  The  only  way  in  which  I  use  it  is  in 
.such  preparations  as  are  intended  for  external  application, 
in  which  I  have  found  it  useful.  A  proportion  of  it  should 
be  added  to  the  rheumatic  drops  when  used  for  the  itch  or 
other  bad  humors.  It  is  a  powerful  article,  and  should  be 
used  with  caution. 

GUM  CAMPHOR. 

1  shall  .say  but  little  about  this  article,  as  I  never  found 
any  very  great  advantages  from  its  use,  though  I  never  knew 
it  to  do  any  harm.  It  is  made  much  use  of,  and  I  think  there 
is  more  credit  given  to  it  than  what  it  deserv^es.  I  have  been 
in  the  habit  of  adding  some  of  it  to  the  rheumatic  drops  when 
used  for  bad  .sprains,  and  in  sucb  ca.ses  have  found  it  useful; 
and  I  have  no  doubt  but  that  it  may  be  sometimes  given  to 
advantage  to  warm  the  stomach  and  relieve  pain ;  but  there 
are  other  articles  which  I  make  use  of  for  that  purpose  that 
are  much  better.  .See  under  directions  for  preparing  and 
using  vegetable  medicine. 


'  ^■^""""''-i'-nrffln-mT'-ir—iTr'm  i 


/>'()7.I.\/C  F.l.h 


/'//)S/(/.IX. 


i>, 


NERVE  POWDER. 

American  Valerian,  or  Ladies'  Slipper:  sometimes  called  Umbil.  or  Male 
and  Feinale  Nervine. 

There  are  four  species  of  this  valuable  vegetable,  one  male 
and  three  female.  The  male  is  called  \ello\v  umbil,  and  grows 
in  swamps  and  wet  land;  has  a  large  cluster  of  fibrous  roots 
matted  together,  joined  to  a  solid  root,  which  puts  forth  se\- 
eral  stalks  that  grow  about  two  feet  high;  it  has  leaves  some- 
thing resembling  the  poke  leaf.  The  female  kinds  are  dis- 
tinguished I)y  the  color  of  the  blos.soms,  which  are  red,  red 
and  white,  and  white.  The  red  has  but  two  leaxes,  which 
grow  (mt  of  the  ground,  and  lean  over  to  the  right  and  left, 
between  which  a  single  .stalk  .shoots  up  to  the  height  of  from 
eight  to  ten  inches,  bearing  on  its  top  a  red  blo.ssom  of  a  \ery 
.singular  form,  that  gives  it  tlie  name  of  female  umbil.  This 
kind  is  foun.i  on  high  ledges  and  in  swamps.  The  red  and 
white  and  white  umbil  grows  only  in  swamps,  and  is  in  larger 
clusters  of  roots  than  the  yellow,  but  in  a  .similar  form;  its 
topis  similar  to  the  red,  except  the  color  of  the  blo.s.som . 
,  The  yellow  and  red  are  the  best  for  medicine;  the  roots  should 
be  dug  in  the  fall  when  done  growing,  or  in  the  spring,  I^e- 
fore  the  top  puts  forth.  If  dug  when  growing,  the  roots  will 
nearly  all  dr.\-  up.  When  the  roots  are  dug.  they  .should  be 
wa.shed  clean,  carefully  dried,  and  pounded  or  ground  to  a 
fine  powder,  .sifted  through  a  fine  sieve,  and  preserved  from 
the  air  for-  u.se. 

This  powder  is  the  best  nervine  known.  I  have  made 
great  use  of  it,  and  have  always  found  it  to  produce  the  mo.st 
beneficial  effects  in  all  cases  of  nervous  affection,  and  in  hys- 
terical .symptoms:  in  fact,  it  would  be  difficult  to  get  along 
with  my  practice  in  many  ca.ses  without  this  important  arti- 
cle. It  is  perfectly  hannless,  and  may  be  used  in  all  ca.ses 
ofdi.sea.se  with  .safet\ ,  and  is  much  better  than  opium,  which 
is  generally  given  in  ca.ses  of  spasmodic  affection,  and  which 
only  deadens  the  feelings,  and  relieves  pain  only  by  destroy- 
ing sensibility  without  doing  any  good.  It  has  been  sup- 
po.sed  b>-  the  doctors  to  be  of  a  narcotic  nature,  but  this  is  a 
mistake.     The>-  have  drawn  this  conclusion,  I  suppo.se,  from 


OH  -^  .\i:\\  CI  IDi:  TO  IIIIAI.TH:  Oh\ 

its  tendency  to  promote  sleep,  but  this  is  altogether  owing  to 
its  quieting  the  nerves,  and  leaving  the  patient  at  ease  when 
nature  requires  sleep  to  recover  the  natyral  tone  of  the  sys- 
tem. Half  a  tea.spoonful  may  be  given  in  hot  water,  sweet- 
ened, and  the  dose  repeated  if  necessary;  or  the  same  quan. 
tity  may  be  mixed  with  a  do.se  of  either  the  other  numbers, 
when  given,  and  put  into  the  injections,  and  where  there  are 
nervous  symptoms  it  should  never  be  di.spen.sed  with.  See 
under  directions  for  ])reparing  and  u.sing  vegetable  medicine. 


I  have  thus  far  given  a  description  of  all  the  important 
vegetables  made  use  of  in  my  .system  of  practice,  with  the 
manner  of  preparing  and  using  them.  I  .shall  now  proceed 
to  describe  a  number  of  articles  of  less  importance,  all  of  which 
I  have  u.sed  and  found  good  in  various  complaints.  Some  of 
them  form  a  part  of  my  medical  preparations,  and  many  oth- 
ers may  be  used  as  substitutes  for  some  that  have  been  men- 
tioned. They  are  all  of  a  warming  nature,  and  may  be  used 
to  advantage  in  throwing  off  disea.se  in  its  first  stages. 

SPEARMINT. 

This  is  a  well-known  herb,  and  makes  a  very  pleasant 
tea,  which  may  be  freely  u.sed  in  .sickness.  The  most  valua- 
ble prop^ty  it  possesses  is  to  stop  vomiting.  If  the  Emetic 
Herb  or  any  other  cause  should  produce  violent  \'omiting, 
by  giving  a  .strong  tea  made  of  this  herb  it  will  .stop  it,  and 
sit  plea.santly  on  llie  .stomach. 

PEPPERMINT. 

This  article  is  \ery  hot  in  its  nature,  and  may  be  u.sed  to 
advantage  to  promote  perspiration  and  overpower  the  cold. 
I  have  frequently  used  it  for  that  purpo.se  with  .success,  but 
it  is  volatile,  and  will  not  retain  the  heat  long  in  the  .stom- 
ach. In  colds  and  slight  attacks  of  disease,  to  drink  freely  of 
a  tea  made  of  this  herb  on  going  to  bed  will  throw  it  off. 
The  essence,  put  in  warm  water,  is  good  to  give  children, 
and  will  relieve  pain  in  the  stomach  and  bowels.  A  few 
drops  of  the  oil  given  in  warm  water,  or  on  loaf  sugar,  are 
good  for  the  same  purpo.se. 


; 


/.•(>/:  i.\7(  ■  /■-.  I.I///.  )■  /•//ys/(  ■/.  /.\-. 


ti'.i 


PENNYROYAL. 

-  *  . 

This  lierb  j^rows  coniinou  in  all  parts  of  the  couiitn-,  and 
is  too  well  known  to  need  any  description.  It  is  an  article 
of  great  value  in  medicine,  ar.d  a  tea  of  it  may  be  freely  used 
in  all  cases  of  sickness.  It  is  jjjood  for  the  stomach,  being 
warming  and  cleansing:  if  drank  freely,  will  produce  jx-r- 
spiration  and  remove  obstructions.  In  colds  and  slight  at- 
tacks of  disease,  it  w.  be  likely  to  thnw  it  off  and  prevent 
sickness.  It  is  ver>-  g  xl  for  children,  and  will  remove  pain 
in  the  bowels  and  wind.  In  going  through  a  course  of  med- 
cine,  a  tea  of  this  herb  may  be  given  for  drink,  ntid  will 
cau.se  the  medicine  to  have  a  plea.sant  operation. 

SUMMER  SAVORY. 

This  herb  grows  in  gardens,  and  is  made  use  of  to  .season 
meats  in  cooking;  it  is  of  a  very  pleasant  flavor  and  of  a  hot 
nature.  A  tea  of  it  is  good  for  colds,  and  may  be  u.sed  freely 
in  caseofsickne.ss.  There  is  an  oil  made  from  this  herb 
which  will  cure  the  toothache  by  putting  a  little  on  cotton 
wool,  and  applying  it  to  the  affected  tooth. 

HOARHOUND. 

This  plant  grows  conui.  -n  in  this  country,  and  is  made 
much  account  of  in  removing  cough.  An  infusion  made  of 
the  leaves,  .sweetened  with  honey,  is  good  for  the  asthma, 
and  all  complaints  of  the  lungs.  The  syrup  of  this  plant  will 
loasen  tough  phlegiu,  and  remove  hoarseness  caused  by  a 
bad  cold.  The  hoarhound  candy  is  very  useful  for  .such  as 
are  troubled  with  cough,  particularly-  old  people  and  tho.se 
that  are  short-winded. 

ELECAMPANE.  ^ 

The  roo  of  this  plant  made  into  .syrup  is  good  for  a 
cough,  and  I  nave  made  u.se  of  it  for  that  purpose  with  ad- 
vantage in  many  cases,  and  can  reconunend  it  as  a  .safe  and 
useful  remedy  in  comjilaints  of  that  kind. 

MAYWEED, 

A  tea  made  of  this  herb,  to  be  drank  hot  when  going  to 
bed,  is  very  good  for  a  cold,  and  in    slight  attacks  of  a  fever 


l^UHMiJimx 


70  .\/:u  (:(//)/■:  7()  ///■:. u.n/;  o/s\ 

if  used  frt'ol}  ,   and  a   hot  stout*  jnit  to  the  feet,  will  in  most 

cases  throw  it  off.      It  jjrows  coininoii  in  old  fields,  and  by 

the  sides  of  roads. 

WORMWOOD. 

This  herb  is  a  very  wholesome  bitter,  and  may  be  taken 

toadvantaji^e  in  diiTerenl  ways.      It  is  of  a  hot  nature,  and  is 

jjood  for  the  stomach  to  create  an  appetite  and  assi.st  the  <li- 

};esture.      It  may  l)e  taken  in  tea,   or  the  j;reen  herb  may  be 

])ounded  and  tinctured  in  si)irit,  which  is  ^ood  to  apply  to  a 

brtiise  or  sprain. 

TANSY. 

This  is  a  hot,  bitter  herb,  grows  common  in  highways,  and 
is  cultivated  in  gardens.  A  tea  made  of  this  herb  is  good  for 
hysterics  and  other  female  complaints;  it  will  strengthen  tho.se 
that  have  weak  reins  and  kidneys,  and  is  good  for  the  strang- 
ury, or  stoppage  of  urine.  The  green  leaves  pounded  are 
gfX)d  to  ])ut  on  bruises  and  sprains,  and  will  alla>-  the  swell- 
ing. 

CHAMOMILE. 

This  is  a  well-known  herb.  The  flowers  are  sold  by  the 
apothecaries  and  are  made  much  use  of  in  a  tea  for  many 
complaints.  It  is  got)d  given  in  a  tea  for  bowel  com- 
plaints, and,  externally  applied,  will  relieve  sprains,  brui.ses, 
and  sweUings,  and  remove  callou.ses.  corns,  etc. ,  and  restore 

shrunk  sinews. 

BITTER-SWEET. 

This  herb  has  long  been  e.steemed  as  a  medicine  of  con- 
.siderable  value  for  many  complaints.  It  grows  common  in 
this  country,  in  hedges  where  the  ground  is  moist,  and  the 
top  runs  along  the  ground  or  climbs  on  bu.shes.  Its  taste 
when  chewed  is  first  bitter  and  then  sweet,  which  has  gi\-eu 
it  its  name.  It  is  said  to  be  a  good  medicine  for  internal  in- 
juries and  to  remove  obstructions,  which  I  have  no  doubt  is 
correct;  but  the  only  way  I  make  use  of  it  is  for  external  ap- 
plication; the  bark  of  the  root  with  chamomile  and  worm- 
wood makes  an  ointment  of  great  value,  which  is  an  excel- 
lent thing  for  a  bruise,  .sprain,  callous,  swelling  or  for  corns. 

MULLEIN. 

The  leaves  of  this  plant  are  \ery  good  to  bring  down 


/>'0/.l.\7(/\l.l///.)/'//}S/(7.l.\:  71 

swelling  and  to  restore  eoiitracted  sinews,  by  iMnniding  them 
and  applying  them  warm  to  the  part  affected.  I'or  external 
use  they  are  an  excellent  article  in  many  complaints.  This 
herb  is  too  well  known  to  need  any  description.  It  is  an 
important  article  in  my  .strengthening  plaster. 

BURDOCK. 

The  leaves  of  this  plant,  wilted  by  the  fire  and  applied  to 
an  external  injury,  will  allay  the  inflannnation  and  ea.se 
l)ain.  and  they  are  g(K)d  pcmnded  and  put  onto  a  bruise  or 
sprain,  as  they  will  give  immediate  relief.  It  is  made  n.se  of  in 
the  .strengthening  plaster.  The  lea\-es  are  good  applied  to 
the  feet  in  ca.se  of  fever,  to  keej)  them  moist  and  i)r()inote 
perspiration. 

SKUNK-CABBAGE. 

This  vegetable  grows  common  in  all  parts  of  New  Ivng- 
land.  It  has  large  leaves  something  resembling  cabbage,  from 
which,  and  its  di.sagreeable  smell,  it  takes  its  name;  il  maybe 
found  in  the  meadows  and  wet  land.  The  root  onl>-  is  used 
for  medicine,  and  should  be  dug  and  split  into  strips  and 
carefully  dried;  when  dry  it  should  be  pounded  or  ground  to 
a  powder.  This  powder  ma>'  be  taken  in  tea  sweetened,  or 
made  into  a  syrup,  or  half  a  teaspoonfnl  may  be  mixed  in 
honey  and  taken  in  the  morning;  or  at  night  when  going  to 
bed.  It  is  good  for  a.sthma,  ccmgh,  difficulty  of  breathing, 
and  all  disorders  of  the  lungs,  and  with  other  articles  makes 
one  of  the  be.st  preparations  for  tlio.se  complaints  I  have  e\-er 
found. 

WAKE-ROBIN. 

This  plant  grows  wild  in  this  country.  It  has  three  tri- 
angular leaves.  From  between  them  it  puts  forth  a  naked 
stalk,  on  the  top  of  which  is  a  singular  .stem  or  pi.s'til,  en- 
clcsed  in  a  sheath,  resembling  a  flower,  which  is  followed  by 
a  bunch  of  reddish  berries.  The  root  is  used  for  medicine, 
and  resembles  a  .small  turnip.  This  root  is  extremely  pung- 
ent and  .stimulating,  and  is  often  given  for  colic  and  i)ain 
in  the  bowels,  and  to  expel  wind.  I  have  mostly  made  use 
of  it  for  cough  and  disorders  of  the  lungs,  for  which  I  have 
found  it  a  very  useful    article,    and  it  forms  part  of  my  com- 


h:> 


II 


79      ■''         XKii  (,1  //)/■:  /I)  j//:.iLn/;  ()h\ 

position  for  coughs.     The  root  should  be  dried  and  reduced 

to  a  powder,  and   may  he  given  mixed  with  hone> ,  or  in  a 

svrup. 

THOROUGHWORT. 

This  lierb  is  well  known  in  the  countr>-,  and  is  made  use 
of  by  the  people  in  tea  for  manj-  complaints.  It  is  of  a  warm- 
ing nature,  and  is  good  for  cough  and  other  complaints  of 
the  lungs.     It  is  u.sed  in  my  compound  prepared  for  coughs. 

FEATHERFEW. 

This  herb  is  stimulating  and  is  good  for  hysteric  com- 
plaints, a'ul  many  other  disorders  common  to  females.  It 
promotes  the  passage  of  urine,  and  removes  obstructions  in 
those  parts.  It  should  be  taken  in  tea  alone,  or  may  be 
added  with  chamomile,  u'ld  used  to  advantage  in  all  cases  of 
obstructions. 

CLIVERS. 

This  is  a  sort  of  joint  grass,  and  grows  in  mowing  land, 
where  the  ground  is  wet.  It  has  small  leaves  at  each  joint. 
The  .stalk  is  four  square  and  the  edges  are  rough  like  a  sickle. 
This  herb,  made  into  a  .strong  tea  and  drank  freely,  is  very 
good  for  the  .stoppage  of  urine,  and  may  be  made  use  of  for 
all  obstructions  in  tho.se  parts  to  advantage. 

BLACK  BIRCH  BARK. 

A  tea  made  of  this  bark  is  useful  in  curing  all  complaints 
of  the  bowels  and  to  remove  obstructions.  I  have  made  much 
use  of  it  in  dysentery.  This  tea,  with  peach  meats  or  cherry- 
.stone  meats,  made  into  a  .syrup,  is  an  excellent  article  to  re- 
store patients  after  having  been  reduced  by  that  disease,  and 
to  promote  the  digesture.  It  is  good  for  canker  and  all  com- 
plaints of  the  bowels. 

EVAN  ROOT. 

This  is  called  by  some  people  chocolate  root,  on  account 
of  its  resembling  that  article  in  ta.ste,  and  is  made  u.se  of  by 
some  for  common  drink  instead  of  tea  or  coffee.  It  is  good 
for  canker,  and  may  be  used  in  No.  3  as  a  substitute  for  other 
articles.  It  grows  common  in  this  country,  and  is  too  well 
known  to  need  de.scribing. 


►t- 


/lOr.lA/C  I-AM/Ll  rHYSICI.  I.V. 


"!l 


SLIPPERY  ELM  BARK. 

The  inner  bark  of  this  tree  is  an  article  of  much  vahie, 
and  niaj-  be  used  to  advantage  in  many  different  wajs. 
There  are  several  species  of  tlie  ehn  that  grow  connnon  in 
this  country,  and  there  are  two  kinds  of  the  slippery  ehn. 
In  one  the  bark  is  rather  hard  and  tough,  and  the  other  is  very 
brittle;  the  latter  is  the  be.st  for  medicinal  uses.  The  bark 
should  be  peeled,  the  out.side  ross  shaved  off,  dried,  and 
ground  or  pounded  to  a  fine  powder.  If  used  internally, 
put  a  tea.spoonful  of  this  powder  into  a  teacup  with  as  much 
.sugar,  mix  them  well  together,  then  add  a  little  cold  water 
and  stir  it  until  perfectly  mixed,  and  then  put  hot  water  to  it 
and  stir  till  it  forms  a  jelly  thick  enough  to  be  eaten  with  a 
•Spoon.  A  teaspoonful  may  be  taken  at  a  time,  and  is  an  ex- 
cellent medicine  to  heal  soreness  in  the  throat,  .stomach  and 
bowels,  cau.sed  by  canker;  or  more  hot  water  niaj  be  put  to 
it  and  made  into  a  drink,  and  freely  taken  for  the  same  pur- 
pose. I  have  made  much  use  of  this  bark  for  poultices,  and 
have  in  all  cases  found  it  a  mo.st  excellent  article  for  that 
purpose.  Mixed  with  pounded  cracker  and  ginger  it  makes 
the  best  poultice  I  have  ever  found;  for  burns,  scalds,  felons, 
old  sores,  etc. ,  it  is  the  best  thing  I  have  met  with  to  allay 
the  infianunation,  ease  the  pain  and  heal  them  in  a  shori  time. 

BALSAM  FIR. 

T.  balsam  is  obtained  from  a  tree  well  known  in  many 
parts  of  this  country;  it  is  taken  from  small  blisters  which 
form  in  the  bark.  It  is  of  a  very  healing  nature,  and  is  good 
to  remove  internal  soreness.  It  forms  an  important  article 
in  my  healing  .salve.  When  taken  it  may  be  dropped  on  loaf 
sugar. 

GENTIAN. 

This  root  grows  wild  in  this  country,  and  is  found  plen- 
tifully in  Vermont.  It  was  formerly  collected  for  exporta- 
tion, and  large  quantities  of  it  were  sent  to  China,  where  it 
brought  a  great  price.  It  is  said  the  people  of  that  countr\ 
considered  it  of  great  value,  but  for  what  purpose  thej-  use 
it,  is,  I  believe,  only  known  to  themselves.     It  is  a  nervine, 


I  '■ 


i 


^gSl'JJ'JBfJ 


k 


11 


II- 


si' 

m 
Til 


9  1 


I 


"^       *  .\7:u  <.///)/■:  /•<>  ///:.!/. /•//■  oa. 

and  iiia>  hf  used  to  advaiitajje  in  all  cases  of  nervous  afftc- 
tion,  eitlKT  aloni>  or  mixed  with  other  articles.  The  root 
should  \k-  duK  in  the  fall,  dried  and  reduced  to  a  fine  powder; 
from  lialf  to  a  teaspoonful  nia\  he  j>;iven  for  a  dose,  in  hot 
water,  sweetened. 

SNAKEROOT. 

This  is  a  well-known  article,  jj^rows  wild,  and  may  Iw 
found  in  most  parts  of  this  country.  It  is  of  a  hot  nature, 
and  is  made  nuich  use  of  in  tea  for  mea.sles  and  other  erup- 
tions to  keep  the  disorder  out,  for  which  it  is  considered  very 
Rood;  this  is  owinjj  to  its  warminj:^  (lualities,  which  keep  the 
determining  i)owers  to  the  surface,  which  effect  may  he  pro- 
duced by  almost  any  .strong  stimulant;  but  Xo.  2,  or  the 
composition  powders,  is  nuich  the  best  for  that  i)urpo.se.  A 
tea  made  of  this  root  may  be  given  to  advantage  in  many 
cm.ses  of  disea.se;  it  has  a  tendency  to  promote  perspiration, 
and  is  got^l  to  remove  pain  in  the  .stomach  and  bowels,  and 
expel  wind.  The  roots,  reduced  to  powder,  may  be  mixed 
with  gentian  or  umbil  for  all  nenous  complaints. 

MUSTARD. 

The  .seed  of  this  herb  is  principally  made  use  of  for  cul- 
inary purposes,  being  eaten  on  meat,  for  which  it  is  ground 
to  a  fine  powder  and  mixed  with  warm  water.  It  is  very 
pungent  and  of  a  hot  nature,  but  is  volatile  and  will  not  hold 
the  heat  long  enough  to  do  much  good  in  retaining  the  in- 
ternal heat.  It  is  good  to  create  an  api)etite  and  a,s.sist  the 
digesture,  and  given  in  hot  water,  sweetened,  will  remove 
pain  in  the  bowels  and  stomach.  It  is  frequently  used  for 
rheumatism,  l)oth  internally  and  externally,  but  Nos.  2  and 
6  are  much  better  for  that  purpose. 

HORSERADISH. 

»  he  root  of  this  plant  is  mo.stly  u.sed  for  culinar>  pur- 
poses, and  it  has  .some  medicinal  properties.  It  is  of  a  hot 
nature,  but  very  volatile;  its  warming  qualities  will  mostly 
evaporate  before  it  gets  into  the  stomach.  The  roots  may  be 
given  to  promote  the  appetite  and  assist  the  digesture.     The 


WSWi:' 


/;()■/.  i.\/c  i\  i.Mii. )   I'll » sn  •/.  ix.  :r> 

leaves  art-   sonietiiiics   applied  U»  remove  extenjal  pain,  lail 
nn-  apt  tf)  raise  a  blister. 

BALM  OF  GILEAD. 

Tills  tret- is  of  the  sj)eeies  of  the  |H)|)lar,  and  possesses 
some  medicinal  virtues.  It  resembles  the  kind  of  poplar  that 
has  bt-eii  described,  ha\in);  similar  ta^s,  but  the  buds  and 
leaves  are  larger.  The  buds,  bruised  and  tinctured  in  spirit, 
l)roduce  an  effect  somethinji;  like  the  tincture  of  myrrh,  and 
are  );(M)d  taken  inwardly  as  a  restorative,  and  for  bathing 
sores.  The  bark,  scrajietl  from  the  twigs  and  steeped  in  Imt 
water,  is  a  good  corrector  of  the  bile,  and  will  operate  both 
a.s  an  emetic  and  cathartic;  it  is  more  harsh  than  the  other 
kind  of  poplar,  but  may  be  used  to  advantage  in  many  cases 
of  disease. 

BUTTERNUT. 

This  tree  grows  common  in  this  country,  antl  is  well 
known  from  the  nut  which  it  bears,  ot  an  oblong  shape  and 
nearly  as  large  as  an  egg,  in  which  is  a  meat  containing  much 
oil,  and  vers-  good  to  eat.  The  bark  of  this  tree  is  used  b\- 
the  country  people  to  color  with.  The  bark  taken  from  the 
body  of  the  tree  or  roots,  and  boiled  down  till  thick,  ma.\-  be 
made  into  pills,  and  operates  as  a  i>owerful  emetic  and  ca- 
thartic; a  .syrup  may  be  made  by  Iwiling  the  bark  and  add- 
ing one-third  mola.s.ses  and  a  little  spirit,  which  is  good  to 
give  children  for  worm  complaints.  The  buds  and  twigs 
may  also  be  u.sed  for  the  same  purpo.se,  and  are  more  mild. 
White-ash  bark  and  balm  of  gilead  may  be  added,  e<|ual 
parts,  and  made  into  .syrup  or  pills.  Tho.se  who  are  fond  of 
dra.stic  purges  may  have  their  ends  sufficiently  answered  by 
these  preparations,  and  they  are  the  most  .safe  and  harmless 
of  any  that  I  know  of;  and  tho.se  who  wi.sh  to  be  tortured 
with  blisters  can  have  them  cheap,  by  bruising  the  green 
shell  of  the  nut,  or  the  bark,  and  applying  it  where  the 
bli.ster  is  wanted,  keeping  the  bandage  wet,  and  in  three 
hours  they  will  be  completely  drawn,  and  the  .skin  as  black 
as  that  of  an  African.  This  is  much  quicker  and  .safer  than 
if  done  with  flies,  and  will  not  cau.se  strangury.  The  bark 
of  the  butternut  is  the  principal  ingredient  in  Dr.  Hawkes' 


i- 


If 


W"*  .\/':u  <;f //)/■:/()  H/.u./f/.  (^h\ 

rliLuniatic  and  cancer  pills,  and  alsoofChanda-riain's  hilious 
cordial,  vvhicli  have  l)efn  so  celebrated  for  niany  complaints. 
It  is  called  by  some  people  oilnut  and  lenum  walnut. 

BLUE  AND  WHITE  VERVINE. 

Tliis  is  a  well-known  herb,  jfrowin^  very  conmion;  it 
ranks  next  to  the  Kinetic  Herb  for  a  puke,  and  may  be  used 
for  that  purixwe  either  alone  or  combined  with  thorouKhwort. 
It  is  K'ood  to  prevent  a  fever  in  its  first  .stages.  This  herb 
has  been  u.sed  with  considerable  success  in  consumption, 
havin^i;  cured  several  ca.ses  where  the  dwtors  had  given  them 
«)ver.  It  may  be  u.sed  in  a  tea  made  of  the  dry  herb,  or 
prepared  in  powder  like  the  Ivmetic  Herb, 

PIPSISWAY.  OR  RHEUMATIC  WEED. 

This  herb  grows  on  mountainous  land,  and  on  pine  plains 
where  the  boxberry  or  checker- l)erry  is  found  plenty.  It  is 
an  evergreen,  and  grows  from  three  to  six  inches  high,  has 
a  number  of  dark  green  leaves  alwut  half  an  inch  wide  and 
from  one  to  two  inches  long,  with  a  .scolloped  edge;  bears 
several  brown  seeds  resembling  allspice.  The  tops  and  roots 
are  u.sed  for  medicine.  The  roots  when  chewed  are  very- 
pungent,  and  will  be  felt  for  several  hours  on  the  tongue 
as  though  burnt.  A  strong  tea  made  of  this  plant  is  good 
for  cancers  and  all  scrofulous  humors,  bj-  drinking  the  tea 
and  bathing  with  it  the  parts  affected. 

Another  evergreen  plant,  called  wild  lettuce,  grows  on 
the  same  kind  of  land,  which  pos.sesses  much  the  same  med- 
ical properties  as  the  above.  It  ha,s  round  leaves  from  the 
size  of  a  cent  to  that  of  a  dollar,  re.sembling  a  common  let- 
tuce. The  roots  of  this  plant  and  of  the  pipsisway,  dried  and 
powdered  together,  equal  parts,  are  good  to  cure  all  bad  hu- 
mors. Take  a  tea.spoonful  of  the  powder  in  a  gla.ss  of  hot 
water,  and  bathe  the  parts  affected  with  the  same.  It  is  also 
gfKKl  to  restore  weak  nerves. 

60LDENR0D. 

This  herb  may  be  found  common  on  pine  plains  and  in 
hedges;   it   grows   about   two  or  three  feet  high,  has  a  long 


11^ 


i 


/.•()/:i.\/(/:i.i///.i/7ns/(7.i\.  77 

luirrow  leaf,  very  sniootli  ami  flossy,  and  a  large  cluster  of 
yellow  hlossoms;  it  has  a  sweet,  spie\  taste  and  smell,  re- 
seinhliiiK  fennel  or  .inise.  There  i.s  an  oil  obtained  I'nmi 
this  herb  ^ood  for  medicine,  and  also  prepared  in  essence  is 
K(kmI  for  pain  in  the  heud,  to  Ije  taken,  or  the  untside  bathed 
with  it.  The  oil  is  jjcmxI  to  scent  the  bayberrj  and  bitter- 
root  snufT.  which  is  very  ^ood  to  be  taken  and  snntTed  U]) 
the  nose.  There  are  several  herl)s  that  resemble  this  in  aj)- 
pearance,  but  are  very  dilTerent  in  smell  and  taste. 

MEADOW  FERN. 

This  is  a  shrub  and  Rrowsin  meadows  and  by  the  side  of 
stagnant  water,  sometimes  growing  in  the  water:  it  is  found 
in  thick  bunches,  and  grows  fnnn  two  to  three  feet  high. 
When  the  leaves  are  oflF  it  has  a  large  bud,  which  is  larger 
on  some  bushes  than  others;  .some  of  them  bear  a  small  bjir, 
or  cluster  of  .seeds,  which,  when  rubbed  between  the  fingers, 
leaves  an  oily  or  balsamy  snb.stance,  having  a  fragrant  smell, 
.something  like  .spirits  of  turpentine. 

These  burs,  pounded  fine  and  sinunered  in  cream,  hog's 
lard  or  fresh  butter,  are  almost  a  sovereign  remed\-  for  the 
itch  or  external  poison,  and  all  l)ad  humor  sores.  When  the 
burs  cannot  be  had,  take  the  bu.sli  and  buds  and  make  a 
strong  decoction,  drink  of  this  and  wash  with  the  same. 
This  liquor  may  be  prepared  in  s>'rup,  and  by  boiling  it  down 
may  be  made  into  ointment,  as  has  been  described  for  the 
burs;  the  syrup  should  be  taken  and  the  ointment  put  on  the 
affected  parts.  This  ointment,  or  the  wash,  is  good  for  .salt- 
rheum,  or  canker  .sores,  and  may  be  used  freely. 

YELLOW  DOCK. 

The  root  of  this  plant  is  well  known  as  being  made  into 
ointment  for  the  itch.  The  roots  should  be  brui.sed  fine  in  a 
mortar  and  put  in  a  pewter  basin;  add  cream  enough  to 
make  an  ointment,  keep  it  warm  for  twelve  hours,  but  be  care- 
ful not  to  scald  it.  Rub  it  on  at  night  when  going  to  bed. 
Three  times  using  it  will  generally  effect  a  cure.  The  fore- 
gf)ing   described   ointments,    together   with    No.  t,.  and  the 


1       -wvn  nn.  ifiJi 


if 
ii 


|F''t! ' 


.«i 


7«  XAir  (./ //>/■:  TO  llllAl.ril:  Ok\ 

rliLUiuatic  drops  prepared  with  the  spirits  of  turpentine,  will 
he  sufficient  to  cure  any  case  of  this  complaint. 

PRICKLY  ASH. 

This  is  a  shrub  or  bush  that  grows  in  the  Western  coun- 
try, and  is  well  known  by  the  people  there.  It  j^rows  from 
eight  to  twelve  feet  high,  and  bears  a  berry  that  grows  clo.st 
to  the  limbs;  it  has  leaves  like  the  white  ash.  The  bark  and 
the  berries  are  used  for  medical  purpo.ses.  The  lierries  are 
very  pungent,  and  are  a  powerful  stimulant,  as  also  the  '>ark 
of  the  top  and  roots,  though  not  so  strong.  It  should  be 
pounded  to  a  powder  and  steeped  in  hot  water,  then  put  into 
wine  or  .spirit,  and  it  makes  a  very  good  hot  bitter.  Take 
half  a  glass  two  or  three  times  a  day ;  it  is  good  for  fever  and 
ague,  for  which  it  is  much  u.sed,  and  for  lethargy  or  .sleep- 
ine.ss.and  for  cold  feet  and  hands,  and  other  complaints  cau.sed 

In  cold. 

BITTER  THISTLE. 

This  herb  is  a  species  of  the  thistle,  and  is  cultivated  in 
gardens.  It  is  of  one  year's  growth,  the  seed  being  sown 
in  the  spring,  and  it  comes  to  maturity  in  the  fall.  The  stalk 
has  a  number  of  branches,  and  a  great  quantity  of  leaves. 
The  leaf  is  .some  larger  than  the  Canada  thistle,  with  prick- 
les like  it,  and  it  bears  seeds  about  the  size  of  the  l)arley 
corn,  with  a  beard  on  the  end  nearly  as  long  as  the  seed. 
The  leaves  are  used  for  medicine,  which  may  be  steeped  in 
hot  water,  and  drank  like  other  herb  tea,  or  they  may  be  .re- 
duced to  a  powder  and  taken  in  molasses  or  warm  water,  or 
in  wine  or  spirit.  It  is  an  excellent  corrector  of  the  bile, 
and  may  be  safely  u.sed  for  the  purpose.  The  Cardis  Bene- 
dictus,  or  beloved  thistle,  is  cultivated  in  the  .same  manner, 
and  may  be  used  for  the  same  purpo.se. 

ARCHANGEL. 

This  herb  grows  wild  in  wet  land,  and  may  be  often  found 
among  the  grass,  and  at  the  edges  of  plough  fields.  It  grows 
from  four  to  twelve  inches  high ;  the  leaves  are  rather  smaller 
than  mint  leaves;  it  bears  a  kind  of  bur  containing  seed, 
which  grows  round  the  .stalk  at  each  joint.     There  are  two 


a 


1. 


/.'()■/:  I. \7C  l-AMII.  Y'l'IIYSlCIAX. 


79 


kinds  vvhicli  grow  near  each  other;  the\-  look  very  much 
alike,  but  are  very  diflferent  in  taste.  One  is  very  bitter  and 
the  other  has  no  bitter  taste,  Init  is  very  rough  and  of  a  bal- 
samic taste.  They  may  be  useil  together  in  a  tea  or  syrup, 
and  answer  two  important  purposes;  the  rough  removes  the 
canker  and  the  bitter  is  a  corrector  of  the  bile.  V>\  adding 
No.  2,  the  compound  contains  the  three  great  ]irinciples  of 
the  healing  art,  viz:  hot,  rough  and  bitter. 


DIRECTIONS  FOR  PREPARING  AND  USING  VEGETABLE  MEDICINE. 

No.  I — Emetic  Herb.  V 

The  preparation  of  this  herl)  has  been  sufficiently  de- 
.scribed,  for  which  see  page  44.  It  is  prepared  and  used  in 
three  different  ways,  viz: 

1.  The  powdered  leaves  and  pods.  This  is  the  most 
common  form  of  using  it;  and  from  half  to  a  teaspoonful  ma\ 
be  taken  in  warm  water,  sweetened;  or  the  same  quantit\ 
may  be  put  into  either  of  the  other  numbers  when  taken  to 
cleanse  the  ;->tomach,  overpowei  the  cold,  and  promote  a  free 
perspiration.  • 

2.  A  tincture  made  from  the  green  herb  in  .spirit.  This 
is  used  to  counteract  the  effects  of  poison  (to  be  either  in- 
ternally or  externally  u.sed)  and  for  asthma  and  other  com- 
plaints of  the  lungs.  For  a  do.se,  take  a  tea.spoonful,  adding 
about  the  same  quantitj*  of  No.  2  in  half  a  teacupful  of  warm 
water,  sweetened,  and  in  all  cases  of  nervous  affection  add 
half  a  teaspoonful  of  nerve  powder.  For  the  external  effects 
of  poison,  take  the  above  dose,  and  bathe  the  parts  affected 
with  the  tincture,  repeating  it  till  cured. 

3.  The  .seeds  reduced  to  a  fine  powder  and  mixed  .vith 
Nos.  2  and  6.  This  is  for  the  mo.st  violent  attacks  of  .spa.sms 
and  other  complaints,  such  as  lockjaw,  bite  of  a  mad-dog, 
fits,  drowned  persons,  and  all  ca.ses  of  su.spended  animation, 
where  the  vital  .spark  is  nearly  extinct.  For  a  dose,  give  a 
teaspoonful,  and  repeat  it  till  relief  is  obtained;  then  follow 
with  a  tea  of  No.  3  for  canker. 

For  children,  the  dose  must  be  regulated  according  to 
their  age.      If  very  young,  .steep  a  dose  of  the  powder  in  half 


ti 


80  .\EW  Criim  TO  HEALTH;  OK. 

a  teacupful  of  warm  water,  or  tea  of  raspberr\-  leaves,  atid 
give  a  teaspoonful  at  a  time  of  the  tea,  strained  through  a 
fine  cloth,  and  sweetened,  repeating  the  dose  every  ten  min- 
utes, till  it  operates,  and  give  pennyroyal,  or  some  other 
herb  tea.  for  drink. 

No.  3.-  Cayenne. 

Tliis  is  a  medicine  of  great  value  in  the  practice,  and  may 
be  safely  used  in  all  cases  of  dise  ise  to  raise  and  retain  the 
internal  vital  heat  <jf  the  .system,  cause  a  free  perspiration, 
and  keep  the  determining  powers  to  the  .surface.  The  only 
preparation  is  to  have  it  reduced  to  a  fine  powder.  For  a 
dose,  take  from  half  to  a  teaspoonfid,  in  hot  water,  or  a  tea 
of  No.  3,  sweetened;  or  the  same  quantity  may  be  mixed 
with  a  dose  of  either  the  other  numbers  when  taken.  The 
dose  should  be  repeated  e\'er\'  ten  or  fifteen  minutes  till  the 
de.sired  object  is  effected,  and  continued  occasionally  till 
health  is  restored.  When  this  number  is  given,  the  patient 
should  be  kept  warm  1j>  sitting  by  the  fire,  covered  with  a 
blanket,  or  in  a  warm  bed. 

No.  3.— For  Canker. 

Take  bayberry  root  Ixirk,  white  pond  lily  root,  and  the 
inner  bark  of  hemlock,  equal  parts  of  each  pounded  and  well 
mixed  together;  steep  one  ounce  of  the  powder  in  a  pint  of 
boiling  water,  and  give  for  a  dose  a  common  wineglass  full, 
sweetened. 

If  the  above  cannot  be  had,  take  as  a  substitute  sumach 
bark,  leaves  or  berries,  red  raspberry  or  witch-hazel  leaves, 
marsh  rosemary-,  or  either  of  the  other  articles  described  un- 
der the  head  of  No.  3;  they  are  all  good  for  canker,  and  may 
be  used  together  or  separate. 

When  the  violence  of  the  di.sease  requires  a  course  of 
medicine,  .steep  one  ounce  of  the  above-mentioned  powder, 
No.  3,  in  a  pint  of  boiling  water,  .strain  off  a  wineglass  full 
while  hot,  and  add  a  teaspoonful  of  No.  2,  and  the  same 
quantity  of  sugar;  when  cool  enough  to  take,  add  a  teaspoon- 
ful of  No.  I ,  and  half  that  quantity  of  nerve  powder.  Let 
this  dose  be   given   three   times,  at  intervals  of  fifteen  min- 


liOTAXIC  FAMILY  I'll  VSHI.W.  81 

iites,  and  let  the  same  compound  be  given  l)y  injection,  and 
if  the  case  requires  it  again  repeat  it.  If  mortification  is 
apprehended,  a  teaspoonful  of  No.  6  nia\-  be  added  to  each 
dose,  and  to  the  injections. 

After  the  patient  has  recovered  sufficientl_\-  from  the  oj)- 
eration  of  the  medicine,  which  is  usually  in  two  or  three 
hours,  place  them  over  the  steam,  as  is  directed  on  page  22. 

This  operation  is  .sufficient  for  one  time,  and  nuist  be  re- 
peated each  day,  or  everj-  other  day,  as  the  circum.stances  of 
the  case  may  require,  till  the  di.sorder  is  removed.  Three 
times  will  generally  be  .sufficient,  and  .sometimes  once  or 
twice  will  answer  the  purpose,  but  in  bad  chronic  ca.ses  it 
may  be  necessary  to  continue  to  carry  them  through  a  regu- 
lar course  two  or  three  times  a  week,  for  a  considerable  length 
of  time. 

Great  care  must  be  taken  to  keep  up  an  internal  heat,  so 
as  to  produce  perspiration,  after  they  have  been  through  the 
operation,  by  giving  occasionally  No.  2,  or  the  composition 
powder,  for  if  this  is  not  attended  to,  the  patient  may  have  a 
relapse,  in  which  case  it  will  be  very  difficult  to  raise  it  again, 
as  they  will  fall  as  much  below  a  natural  heat  as  they  have 
been  raised  above  it  by  artificial  means. 

During  the  operation  give  milk  porridge,  or  gruel,  well 
.seasoned,  with  a  little  cayenne  in  it,  and  after  it  is  over,  the 
patients  may  eat  any  kind  of  nourishing  food  that  the  appe- 
tite may  crave. 

A  teacupful  of  the  tea  of  No.  3  should  be  taken  night 
and  morning  to  prevent  a  relapse  of  the  disease,  and  dnr-pg 
the  day  drink  frequently  of  a  tea  made  of  poplar  bark,  and 
if  costive,  use  the  bitter  root. 

As  soon  as  the  disorder  is  removed,  u.se  the  bitters  No. 
4,  to  correct  the  bile  and  re.store  the  digesture;  and  hrui  1 
wineglass  full  of  the  syrup.  No.  5,  may  be  taken  t\"o  or 
three  times  a  day,  which  will  strengthen  the  stomach  ar.d 
assist  in  regulating  the  digestive  powers. 

The  foregoing  directions  are  calculated  for  the  more  vio- 
lent attacks  of  disease,  and  such  as  have  become  settled,  but 
those  of  a  less  violent  nature  must  be  treated  according  to 
circumstances.     In   the   fifst   stages  of  a  di.sease,  it  ma}-  be 


1 1 


i'  •■,' 


it      i): 


111 


M' 


X'2 


.\7:ir  (;///)/■:  ro  ///■:. i/.///.  oa\ 


most  generally  thrown  off  by  a  dose  of  the  Emetic  Herb, 
with  No.  2  to  raise  a  free  perspiration,  followed  by  a  tea  of 
No.  3  to  remove  the  canker,  and  the  bitters  or  a  tea  of  pop- 
lar bark  to  regulate  the  dige.sture.  For  a  .sudden  cold,  take 
a  do.se  of  the  composition  powder  on  going  to  bed,  and  put  a 
hot  stone  wrapped  in  wet  cloths  at  the  feet,  which  will  in 
most  ca.ses  remove  the  complaint;  but  if  these  apphcations 
do  not  answer  the  purpose,  the  patient  should  be  carried 
through  a  regular  course  as  soon  as  possible.  Steaming  is 
.safe  and  will  always  do  good,  and  the  injections  must  not  be 
neglected,  particularly  where  the  bowels  are  disordered.  In 
consumption,  and  all  old  lingering  complaints,  give  the  com- 
position powder  for  two  or  three  days  before  going  through 
a  regular  course. 

No.  4.~Bitter5. 

Take  the  Bitter  Herb,  or  balmony,  barberry  and  poplar 
bark,  equal  parts,  pulverized,  one  ounce  of  the  powder  to  a 
pint  of  hot  water,  and  half  a  pint  of  .spirit.  For  a  dose,  take 
half  a  wineglass  full.  For  hot  bitters,  add  a  teaspoonful  of 
No.  2. 

This  preparation  is  calculated  to  correct  the  bile  and  cre- 
ate an  appetite  by  restoring  the  digestive  powers;  and  may 
be  freely  used  both  as  a  restorative  and  to  prevent  disease. 

When  the  above  articles  cannot  be  had,  either  of  those 
that  have  been  before  described  under  No.  4,  which  are  all 
good  for  the  same  purpose,  may  be  used  as  a  substitute. 

No.  5.— Syrup. 

Take  poplar  bark  and  bark  of  the  root  of  bayberry,  one 
pound  each,  and  boil  them  in  two  gallons  of  water;  strain  off 
and  add  seven  pounds  of  good  sugar;  then  scald  and  skim  it, 
and  add  half  a  pound  of  peach  meats,  or  the  same  quantity  of 
cherr}^-stone  meats,  pounded  fine,  When  cool  add  a  gallon 
of  good  brandy,  and  keep  it  in  bottles  for  use.  Take  half  a 
wineglass  full  two  or  three  times  a  day. 

Any  other  quantity  maj  be  prepared,  b\-  observing  the 
same  proportion  of  the  different  articles. 

This  syrup  is  very  good  to  strengthen  the  stomach  and 


nor. \.\ic  i-AMii.  y  riDsici.w. 


S3 


bowels,  and  to  restore  weak  patients,  and  is  particular!)-  use- 
ful in  the  dysentery,  which  leaves  the  stomach  and  bowels 
in  a  sore  slate.  In  a  relax,  or  the  first  stages  of  the  dysen- 
tery, by  using  a  teu  of  No.  3  freely  and  giving  this  syrup, 
it  will  generally  cure  it,  and  will  also  prevent  those  expo.sed 
fromtakingthedisea.se. 

No.  6 — Rheumatic  Drops. 

Take  one  gallon  of  good  fourth-proof  brandy,  or  any  kind 
of  high  wines,  one  pound  of  gum  myrrh,  pounded  fine,  one 
ounce  of  No.  2.  and  put  them  into  a  .stone  jug,  and  boil  it  a 
few  minutes  in  a  kettle  of  water,  leaving  the  jug  unstopped. 
When  settled,  bottle  it  up  for  use.  It  may  be  prepared  with- 
out boiling,  bj-  letting  it  stand  in  the  jug  for  five  or  six  days, 
.shaking  it  well  every  day,  when  it  will  be  fit  for  u.se. 

These  drops  are  to  remove  pain  and  prevent  mortifica- 
tion, to  be  taken,  or  applied  externally,  or  to  be  put  in  the 
injections.  One  or  two  teaspoonfuls  of  these  drops  may  be 
given  alone,  or  the  same  quantity  maj-  be  put  into  a  dose  of 
either  of  the  medicines  before  mentioned,  and  may  be  also 
used  to  bathe  with  in  all  ca.ses  of  external  swellings  or  pains. 
It  is  an  excellent  remedy  for  rheumatism,  by  taking  a  dose 
and  bathing  the  parts  affected  with  it.  In  the  headache,  by 
taking  a  swallow,  and  bathing  the  head,  and  snuffing  a  lit- 
tle up  the  nose,  it  will  remove  the  pain.  It  is  good  for 
bruises,  sprains,  swelled  joints,  and  old  sores,  as  it  will  alia}- 
the  inflammation,  bring  down  swelling,  ease  pain,  and  pro- 
duce a  tendency  to  heal;  in  fact,  tiiere  is  h?'-dly  a  complaint 
in  which  this  useful  medicine  catniot  be  used  to  ad\;«ntage. 
It  is  the  best  preservnu've  against  mortification  of  ..ii>-  thing 
I  have  ever  found. 

For  bathing,  in  rheumatism,  itch,  or  other  humors,  or  in 
any  swelling  or  external  pain,  add  one  quarter  part  of  .spirits 
of  turpentine,  and  for  .sprains  and  brui.ses  a  little  gum  cam- 
phor may  be  added. 

NERVE  POWDER. 

This  is  the  American  Valerian  or  Umbil,  and  the  prepar- 
ation has  been  sufficiently  described,  for  which  see  page  67. 
This  powder  is  a  valuable  and  .safe   medicine,    and  may  be 


n 

m 


m  I- 


S4  SEW  ariniS.    TO  HEALTH;  Ok\ 

used  in  all  cases  without  danger,  and  when  there  are  nerv- 
ous symptoms  it  must  never  be  dispensed  with.  For  a  dose, 
take  half  a  teaspoonful  in  hot  water,  sweetened,  or  the  same 
quantity  should  be  put  into  a  dose  of  either  of  the  other 
medicines,  and  also  into  the  injections  in  all  nervous  cases.     ^ 

COMPOSITION,  OR  VEGETABLE  POWDER. 

Take  two  pounds  of  the  bayberry  root  bark,  one  pound  of 
the  inner  bark  of  hemlock,  one  pound  of  ginger,  two  ounces  of 
cayenne,  two  ounces  of  cloves,  all  pounded  fine,  sifted  through 
a  fine  .sii^ve,  and  well  mixed  together.  For  a  dose,  take  a 
teaspoc.  ul  of  this  powder,  with  an  equal  quantity  of  sugar, 
and  }  It  to  it  half  a  teacupful  of  boiling  water;  to  be  taken 
as  soon  's  .sufTiciently  cool,  the  patient  being  in  bed,  or  by  the 
fire,  covered  with  a  blanket. 

Tl>i:  lomposition  is  calculated  for  the  first  stages,  and  in 
]e>  .^  vii.'k'iit  attacks  of  di,sease.  It  is  a  medicine  of  much  val- 
ue, ar,.'  may  be  safely  u.std  in  all  complaints  of  male  or  fe- 
mule  .(.d  for  children.  It  is  good  for  relax,  ;lysentery,  pai)i 
in  the  stomach  and  bowels,  ayd  to  remov_-  all  obstructions 
caused  by  jold  or  loss  of  inward  heat.  By  taking  a  dose  on 
going  to  bed,  and  putting  a  hot  stone  to  the  feet,  wrapped 
in  wet  cloths,  it  will  cure  a  bad  cold,  and  will  generally 
throw  off  a  disea.se  in  its  first  stage,s,  if  repeated  two  or  three 
times.  If  the  symptoms  are  violent,  with  much  pain,  add  to 
each  dose  a  teaspoonful  of  No.  6,  and  half  a  teaspoonful  of 
No.  I ;  and  in  nervous  symptoms  add  half  a  teaspoonful  of 
nerve  powder,  at  the  samt;  time  giving  an  injection  of  the 
.same.  If  these  .should  not  answer  the  purpose,  the  patient 
must  be  carried  through  a  regular  cour.se  of  the  medicine, 
as  has  been  before  described. 

COUGH  POWDER. 

Take  four  tea.spoonfuls  of  .skunk  cibhage,  two  of  hoar- 
hound,  one  of  wake-robin,  one  o;  No.  i,  one  o.  No.  2,  one 
of  bayberr>' bark,  one  of  bitter  00'. ,  and  one  of  nt .  ve  pow- 
der, all  made  fine  and  well  mixed  together.  When  taken,  to 
be   mixed  with    molasses.     Take  half  a  teaspoonful  of  the 


i 


noT.ix/c  F.iA/if.y  /•//ys/(/.i\.  sn 

powder  on  going  to  bed,   keep  warm,  and  continue  taking  it 
till  relief  is  obtained,  particnlarl_\-  on  going  to  bed. 

Where  the  cough  has  been  of  long  standing,  it  will  be 
best,  while  taking  this  prescription,  to  go  through  a  regular 
course  of  the  medicine,  and  repeat  it  if  necessarv . 

CANCER  PLASTER. 

Take  the  heads  of  red  clover,  and  fill  a  bra.ss  kettle,  and 
boil  them  in  water  for  one  hour;  then  take  them  out,  and  fill 
the  kettle  again  with  fresh  ones,  and  boil  them  as  before  in 
the  same  liquor.  Strain  it  off  and  press  the  heads  to  get  out 
all  the  juice;  then  .sinnuer  it  over  a  .slow  fire  till  it  is  about 
the  consistence  of  tar,  when  it  will  be  fit  for  use.  Be  care- 
ful not  to  let  it  burn.  When  used  it  .should  be  spread  on  a 
piece  of  bladder,  .split  and  made  .soft.  It  is  good  to  cure  can- 
cers, sore  lips,  and  all  old  sores.  :  • 

SALVE. 

Take  one  pound  of  beeswax,  one  pound  of  .salt  butter, 
one  and  a  half  pounds  of  turpentine,  twehe  ounces  of  balsam 
fir;  melt  and  simmer  them  together,  then  strain  it  off  into  a 
basin,  and  keep  it  for  use.  It  may  be  used  to  heal  fresh 
wounds,  burns,  .scalds  and  all  bad  .sores  after  the  inflamma- 
tion is  allayed  and  the  wound  cleansed. 

STRENGTHENING  PLASTER. 

Take  burdock  leaves  and  mullein  lea\es,  brui.se  them  and 
put  them  in  a  kettle  with  a  sufficient  quantit>-  of  water,  and 
boil  them  well;  then  straiji  off  the  liquor,  press  or  squeeze 
the  leaves,  and  boil  it  down  till  about  half  as  thick  as  mo- 
la.sses;  then  add  three  parts  of  ro.sin  and  one  of  turpentine, 
and  simmer  well  together  until  the  water  is  evaporated;  then 
pour  it  off  into  cold  water,  and  work  it.  with  the  hands  like 
shoemaker's  wax;  if  too  hard,  put  in  more  turpentine,  when 
it  will  be  fit  for  use.  It  should  be  spread  on  .soft  leather  and 
applied  to  the  part  affected;  and  it  is  good  to  .strengthen 
weakness  in  the  back  and  other  parts  of  the  bod\ . 

VOLATILE  SALTS. 

Take  crude  sal  ammoniac  one  ounce,  pearlash  two  ounc- 
es, and  pound  each  by  itself;   mix  them  well  together,  and 


'  I 


V  ' 


II 


I 


80  SEW  an Di:   TO  HEALTH;  OR. 

keep  it  close  stopped  in  a  bottle  for  use.  By  damping  it  with 
spirit  or  essence  will  increase  the  strength.  Thi.s,  applied  to 
the  nose,  is  good  for  faintness,  and  to  remove  pain  in  the 
head;  and  is  mnch  better  than  what  is  generally  sold  by  the 
apothecaries. 

NERVE  OINTMENT. 

Take  the  bark  of  the  root  of  bitter-sweet,  two  parts;  of 
wormwood  and  chamomile,  each  equal,  one  part,  when  green, 
or  if  dry,  moisten  it  with  hot  water;  which  put  into  horse  or 
porpoise  oil,  or  any  kind  of  soft  animal  oil,  and  .simmer  them 
over  a  .slow  fire  for  twelve  hours;  then  strain  it  off,  and  add 
one  ounce  of  spirits  of  turpentine  to  each  pound  ot  ointment. 
To  be  used  for  a  bruise,  .sprain,  callous,  .swelling,  or  for  corns. 

POULTICE. 

Make  a  strong  tea  of  raspberry  leaves,  or  of  No.  3;  take 
a  cracker  pounded  fine  and  .slippery -elm  bark  pulverized, 
with  ginger,  and  make  a  poultice  of  the  same.  This  is  good 
for  old  sores,  whitlows,  felons,  and  for  bad  burns,  scalds,  and 
parts  frozen.  Apply  this  poultice,  and  renew  it  at  least  as 
often  as  every  twelve  or  twenty-four  hours,  and  wa.sh  with 
soap  suds  at  every  renewal,  wetting  it  in  the  interim  with  cold 
water,  or  a  tea  of  raspberry  leaves,  till  it  discharges;  then  ap- 
ply the  salve  till  a  cure  is  effected. 

INJECTIONS,  OR  CLYSTERS. 

This  manner  of  administering  medicine  is  of  the  greatest 
importance  to  the  sick;  it  will  frequently  give  relief  when  all 
other  applications  fail.  It  is  supposed  that  the  use  of  them 
is  of  great  antiquity;  whether  this  be  true  or  not,  the  using 
them  to  relieve  the  sick  was  certainly  a  very  valuable 
discovery,  and  no  doubt  thousands  of  lives  have  been  saved 
by  it.  The  doctors  have  long  been  in  the  practice  of  direct- 
ing injections  to  be  given  to  their  patients,  but  they  seem  to 
have  no  other  object  in  administering  them  than  to  cause  a 
movement  in  the  bowels;  therefore  it  was  immaterial  what 
they  were  made  of. 

According  to  the  plan  which  I  have  adopted,  there  are 
certain  important  objects  aimed  at  in  the  admini.stration  of 


m 


nor.  iXK  ■  /■:  /.j///.  )•  /'//y.s/c/.i.y.  sr 

medicine  to  remove  disease,  viz.:  to  raise  the  internal  heal, 
promote  perspiration,  remove  the  canker,  guard  against 
mortification ,  and  restore  the  digestion .  To  accomplish  these 
objects,  the  medicine  necessary  to  remove  the  complaint 
must  be  applied  to  that  part  where  tlie  disease  is  seated;  if  in 
the  stomach  only,  by  taking  the  medicine  it  may  be  removed; 
but  if  in  the  bowels,  the  same  compound  nuxst  be  adminis- 
tered by  injection.  Whatever  is  good  to  cure  di.sease  when 
taken  into  the  .stomach,  is  likewi.se  good  for  the  same  purpo.se 
if  given  l)y  injection,  as  the  grand  object  is  to  warm  the 
bowels  and  remove  the  canker.  In  all  ca.ses  of  dysentery, 
colic,  piles,  and  other  complaints  where  the  bowels  are  bad- 
ly affected,  injections  should  never  be  dispen.sed  with.  They 
are  perfectly  .safe  in  all  cases,  and  better  that  they  be  u.«ed 
ten  times  when  not  needed,  than  once  neglected  when  the\- 
are.  In  many  violent  ca.ses,  particularly  where  there  is 
danger  of  mortification,  patients  may  be  relieved  by  adminis- 
tering medicine  in  this  way,  when  there  would  l)e  no  chance 
in  any  other.  I  do,  therefore,  most  .seriou.sly  advise  that 
these  considerations  be  always  borne  in  mind,  and  that  this 
important  way  of  giving  relief  be  never  neglected  where  there 
is  ajiy  chance  for  it  to  do  good.  In  many  complaints  pecul- 
iar to  females,  they  are  of  the  greatest  importance  in  giving 
relief  when  properly  attended  to;  for  which  purpose  it  is  only 
necessary  to  repeat  what  has  been  before  stated — let  the  rem- 
edy be  applied  with  judgment  and  discretion  to  that  part 
where  the  disea.se  is  .seated. 

The  common  preparation  for  an  injection  or  clyster  is  to 
takeateacupfulof  .strongteamadeofNo.  3;  strain  it  off  when 
hot,  and  add  half  a  teaspoonful  of  No.  2,  and  a  tea,spoon- 
ful  of  No.  6;  when  cool  enough  to  give,  add  half  a  tea,spoon- 
ful  of  No.  I ,  and  the  .same  quantity  of  nerve  powder.  Let  it 
be  given  with  a  large  syringe  made  for  that  purpo.se,  or 
where  this  cannot  be  had,  a  bladder  and  pipe  may  be  u.sed. 
They  must  be  repeated  as  occasion  may  require  till  relief  is 
obtained. 

Many  other  articles  may  be  u.sed  to  advantage  in  the  in- 
jections; a  tea  of  witch-hazel  and  red  ra.spberry  leaves,  either 
or  both  together,  are  very  good  in  many  cases.     For  canker, 


I 


;  I' 
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1 1 

Mr 


»«  y/:  II    (•///>/:/■(>  ///■:.!/. /■//. OA', 

a  tea  of  cither  the  articles  described  under  the  head  of  No.  3, 
will  answer  a  K"<>fl  piirjiose.  When  the  canker  is  removed, 
the  bowels  will  be  left  sore,  in  wliich  case  give  itijections  of 
witch-ha/el  or  raspberry-leaves  tea,  with  slippery-elm  bark. 
When  injections  are  used  to  move  the  bowels  only,  No.  1 
should  be  left  out.  It  is  always  safe  to  add  the  nerve  jKuvder. 
and  if  tlRie  are  nervou  -  symptoms,  it  must  never  be  omitted. 

STOCK  OF  MEDICINE  FOR  A  FAMILY. 

'  *         1  ounce  of  the  ICiiietic  Herb, 

•_' ounces  of  Cayenne, 
li  pound  Bayherrj'-root  Imrk,  in  powder, 
1    pound  Poplar  bark, 
1    pound  of  (linger, 
I    pint  of  the  Rheumatic  Drops. 

This  stock  will  be  sufficient  for  a  family  one  year,  and 
with  such  articles  as  the\-  can  easily  procure  theni.selves  when 
wanted,  will  enable  them  to  cure  anj-  disea.se  which  a  family 
of  common  size  maj-  be  afflicted  with  during  that  time.  The 
expen.se  will  be  small,  and  much  better  than  to  employ  a 
doctor,  and  have  his  extravagant  bill  to  pay. 


^i 


GENERAL  DIRECTIONS  IN  CURING  OR  PREVENTING  DISEASE. 

1.  Be  careful  to  always  ke<.'p  the  determining  powers  to 
the  surface,  by  keeping  the  inward  heat  above  the  outward, 
or  the  fountain  above  the  .streinn,  and  all  will  be  safe. 

2.  It  must  Ije  recollected  that  lieat  is  life,  and  cold  death ; 
or,  in  other  words,  cold  is  di.sease;  that  fever  is  a  friend  and 
cold  the  enemy ;  it  is  therefore  nece.s.sary  to  aid  the  friend  and 
oppose  the  enemy  in  order  to  restore  health. 

;,.  That  the  con.struction  and  organization  of  the  human 
frame  is  in  all  men  es.sentially  the  .same,  being  formed  of  the 
four  elements.  Earth  and  water  constitute  the  .solids  of  the 
body,  which  is  made  active  by  fire  and  air.  Heat,  in  a  pe- 
culiar manner,  gi\es  life  and  motion  to  the  whole,  and  when 
entirely  overpowered  from  whatever  cause  by  the  other  ele- 
ments, death  ensues. 

4.  A  perfect  state  of  health  arises  from  a  due  balance  of 
temperature  of  the  elements,  and  when  it  is   by  any   means 


iu)i\  i.\7(  ■  /■:  It///. )   /•//}. s/(  ■/.  I  \ .  MO 

destroyed,  the  body  is  more  or  less  disordered.  When  tliis 
is  tlie  case,  there  is  always  a  diminution  of  heiit,  or  an  in- 
crease of  the  power  of  cold,  winch  is  its  opposite. 

5.  All  disorders  are  caused  1)\  obstructed  perspiration, 
which  may  be  produced  by  a  j-reat  variety  of  means;  that 
medicine,  therefore,  mu.st  be  administered  that  is  best  calcu- 
lated to  remove  obstructions  and  promote  perspiration. 

6.  The  food  taken  into  the  stomach,  and  being  well  di- 
ge.sted,  nourishes  the  system  and  keeps  up  that  heat  on  which 
life  depends;  but  by  constantly  taking  food  into  the  stomach, 
which  is  sometimes  not  .suitable  for  nourishment,  it  becomes 
foul,  .so  that  the  food  is  not  well  dige.sted;  this  causes 'he 
body  to  lose  its  heat,  and  disease  follows. 

7.  Canker  is  caused  by  cold,  and  there  is  al\vay.s  luute 
or  less  of  it  in  all  cases  of  di.sea.se;  continue  to  make  use  of 
such  articles  as  are  calculated  to  remoxe  it  as  long  as  there  is 
any  appearance  of  di.sorder. 

8.  When  the  di.sea.se  is  removed,  make  free  u.se  of  those 
things  that  are  good  to  restore  the  dige.stive  powers,  not  for- 
getting to  keep  up  the  inward  heat  by    giving  occasionallv 
No.  2. 

9.  Keep  always  in  mind  that  an  ounce  of  prevention  is 
better  than  a  pound  of  cure;  and  give  medicine  on  the  first 
appearance  of  di.sorder,  before  it  becomes  .seated,  for  it  may 
be  then  ea.sil\-  thrown  off,  and  much  sickness  and  expen.se 
prevented. 

10.  In  case  of  a  fever  increase  the  internal  heat  by  giv- 
ing hot  medicine,  so  as  to  overpower  the  cold,  when  the  nat- 
ural heat  will  return  inwardly,  and  the  cold  will  pervade  the 
whole  surface  of  the  body,  as  the  heat  had  done  before;  this 
is  what  is  called  the  turn  of  the  fever. 

11.  If  No.  I  should  .sicken  and  not  puke,  there  may  be 
two  causes  for  it,  viz.:  the  coldness  or  acidity  of  the  stomach; 
for  the  finst  give  No.  2  more  freely,  and  for  the  latter  dissolve 
a  piece  of  pearlash  about  the  size  of  a  large  pea  in  a  wine 
glass  of  water,  and  let  them  take  it,  which  will  counteract 
the  acidity.  If  this  fails,  make  use  of  the  .steam,  which  will 
open  the  pores,  extract  the  cold,  and  .set  the  medicine  in 
operation. 


i 


•»  '  SEUlil  inn  TO  HEALTH:  Oh\ 

12.  In  KiviiiK  nit'dicine  to  children,  give  about  onc-linlf. 
a  little  more  or  less  according  to  their  age,  of  the  <|uantity 
directed  for  a  grown  person.  He  particular  to  offer  them 
drink  often,  especially  young  children  who  cainiot  ask  for  it. 

13.  Dysentery  is  caused  by  canker  on  the  bowels,  for 
which  make  free  u.se  of  the  tea  of  No.  3,  with  No.  2,  and 
give  the  .same  by  injection  in  the  first  of  the  disease,  and  af- 
terwards give  the  syrup,  No.  5,  to  strengthen  the  stomucli 
and  bowels,  and  restore  the  digestive  powers. 

14.  The  piles  is  canker  below  the  reach  of  medicine 
given  in  the  usual  way,  and  must  be  cured  l)y  u.sing  a  wash 
of  No.  3,  made  strong,  and  by  giving  injections  of  the  .same 
with  No.  2.  What  is  called  bearing-down  pains  in  women 
is  from  the  .same  cause,  and  mu.st  be  relieved  by  injections 
made  of  witch-hazel  or  red  raspberry  leaf  tea,  steeped  strong, 
with  No.  2,  strained.  If  this  does  not  give  relief,  gothrc  gh 
a  regular  cour.se  of  medicine. 

r5.  Women  in  a  state  of  pregnancy  ought  to  be  carried 
through  a  regular  course  of  the  medicine,  especially  when 
near  the  time  of  deliver  When  in  trai'ail  give  ra.spberry 
leaf  tea,  with  a  teaspoonful  of  the  composition  powders,  or 
No.  2,  and  keep  them  in  a  perspiration.  After  deliver^' 
keep  up  the  internal  heat  by  j,ivingtl  .■  conit  <  ■lition  powder, 
or  No.  2.  This  will  prevent  col 
should  be  symptoms  of  fever,  carr>- 
course  of  the  medicine,  which  w/; 
ing  complaints  peculiar  in  .such  ca  •,  :, 

16.  In  all  ca.ses  of  a  burn,  scald,  or  being  frozen,  wrap 
up  the  part  in  cloths  wet  with  cold  water,  often  wetting  them 
with  the  .same  to  prevent  their  becoming  dry,  and  be  careful 
to  give  hot  medicine,  such  as  No.  2,  or  the  compo.sition 
powders,  to  keep  up  the  inward  heat.  Pursue  this  plan  for 
twelve  hours,  and  then,  if  the  skin  is  off,  apply  the  poultice 
or  salve.  If  there  should  be  convulsions  or  fever,  a  regular 
course  of  the  medicine  must  without  fail  be  attended  to. 

17.  When  a  scald  is  over  the  whole  or  greater  part  of 
the  body,  apply  cotton  cloth  of  several  thicknesses  to  the 
whole  body,  wet  with  the  tea  of  raspberry  leaves,  thoroughly 
wetting  it   with  the  same  to  prevent  it  from  becoming  dr>', 


afu  '  lins;  if  there 
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I. 


BOTANIC  FAMILY  PHYSICIAN.  »1 

and  give  the  hot  medicine.  When  the  scald  is  under  the 
stocking,  or  any  other  tight  garment,  let  it  remain  on,  add- 
ing more  cotton  cloths,  and  wet  the  whole  with  cold  water 
as  often  as  the  smart  of  the  burn  returns. 

i8.  If  the  skin  is  off,  or  in  case  of  an  old  burn,  to  guard 
against  canker,  apply  a  poultice  of  cracker  and  slippery-elm 
bark,  made  with  a  tea  of  raspberry  leaves,  washing  it  with 
soap  suds  when  the  poultice  is  changed,  and  then  with  the 
same  tea.  When  any  part  is  frozen,  the  same  method  must 
be  taken  as  for  a  burn. 

19.  P'or  a  fresh  wound,  cut,  or  bruise,  wash  immediately 
with  cold  water,  and  bind  up  in  cloths  wet  with  the  same; 
keep  a  hot  stone  at  the  feet,  and  take  medicine  to  raise  a 
gentle  perspiration;  continue  this  till  the  inflammation  is  al- 
layed, and  the  wound  perfectly  clean.sed,  then  apph-  the 
poultice  or  salve,  till  healed.  The  air  must  be  kept  from  all 
wounds  or  .sores,  as  it  will  cavise  pain,  and  prevent  them  from 
healing. 

20.  In  sudden  and  deadly  attacks,  such  as  spotted  or 
yellow  fevers,  fits,  drowned  persons,  croup,  etc. ,  the  heat 
and  activity  of  the  patient  are  so  much  diminished  that  the 
common  administration  will  not  give  relief;  the  determining 
power  to  the  surface  being  .so  .small,  through  the  loss  of  in- 
ternal heat,  that  it  will  not  give  the  medicine  operation,  as 
its  effects  are  resisted  and  counterbalanced  by  the  pres.sure 
of  the  external  air.  To  counteract  this  pre.ssure,  keep  the 
room,  by  aid  of  a  good  fire,  about  as  warm  as  a  summer 
heat;  and  more  fully  to  rarify  and  lighten  the  air,  and  aid 
the  operation  of  the  medicine,  make  a  free  u.se  of  the  steam 
bath,  and  keep  the  patient  shielded  by  a  blanket;  at  the  same 
time  gfive  occasionally  Nos.  i  and  2.  This  course  .should  be 
unremittingly  persevered  in  till  the  patient  is  relieved.* 

21.  If  the  glands  are  dry,  .so  that  there  is  no  moisture  in 
the  mouth,  or  if  the  patient  is  much  pressed  for  breath,  give 

*Keep  always  in  mind  to  give  the  p.itieut  fresh  air  when  .steainiiiK.  and  while 
eoiUK  through  a  course  of  medicine,  by  making  a  quick  fire  of  shavings,  or  vcrv 
light  wood,  and  opening  a  window  at  the  same  time,  as  this  will  immediately 
change  the  foul  afr  in  the  room  by  driving  it  out,  and  supplying  its  place  by  the 
fresti  air  from  the  surrounding  atmosphere.  This  mode  is  essential  in  all  disorders, 
both  in  hot  weather  and  in  cold.  Steaming  is  not  essential  in  hot  weather,  except 
when  going  through  a  course  of  medicine;  after  which,  a  shower  bath  is  good  in 
the  morning,  as  it  lets  down  the  outward  heat,  which  gives  power  to  the  inward. 


S5 

i 


II 


I 


'.•2 


A7i//-  GUIDE  TO  HEALTH:  OA\ 


a  strong  tea  of  No.  2,  sweetened,  and  repeat  it  till  the  mouth 
Ijecomes  moist.  No.  3  should  not  be  used  while  the  mouth 
is  dry;  if  any  is  used,  add  a  large  portion  of  No.  2. 

22.  Be  careful  not  to  have  the  outward  heat  too  high, 
by  too  many  clothes  or  fire,  for  if  this  is  the  ca.se,  it  will  cau.se 
a  balance  of  the  outward  and  inward  heat,  and  will  prevent 
the  medicine  from  operating  by  stopping  the  circulation,  and 
the  patient  will  be  very  much  distressed.  When  this  hap- 
pens, throw  cold  vinegar  on  the  face  and  stomach,  and  give 
more  hot  medicine,  which  will  let  down  the  outward  heat 
and  rai.se  the  inward. 

23.  If  the  patient  is  restless,  wet  the  head  and  body  with 
cold  vinegar,  and  if  there  are  convulsions  or  spa.sms,  give  the 
ner\'e  powder  with  No.  2.     Injections  must  aLsobe  u.sed. 

24.  Never  make  use  of  physic  in  cases  where  there  is 
canker  inside,  for  it  will  draw  the  determining  powers  in- 
ward and  increa.se  the  di.sease.  I  have  seen  so  many  bad  ef- 
fects from  giving  physic,  that  I  have  disapproved  the  use  of 
it  altogether;  but  if  any  is  given  after  the  operation,  be  care- 
ful to  keep  up  the  inward  heat  .so  as  to  cause  a  free  perspira- 
tion. 

25.  Avoid  all  minerals  u.sed  as  medicine,  suchasmer- 
curj-,  arsenic,  antimony,  calomel,  preparations  of  copper  or 
lead,  and  al.so  nitre  and  opium.  They  are  all  poison,  and 
deadly  enemies  to  health. 

26.  Beware  of  bleeding  and  blisters,  as  they  can  never 
do  any  good,  and  may  be  profluctive  of  much  harm;  they 
are  contrarj-  to  nature,  and  strengthen  the  power  of  the  ene- 
my to  health.  Setons  and  i.ssues  should  al.so  be  avoided,  as 
they  only  tend  to  waste  away  the  strength  of  the  patient 
without  doing  any  good:  it  is  a  much  better  way  to  remove 
the  cause  by  a  proper  administration  of  medicine,  which  will 
be  more  certain  and  safe  in  its  eifects. 

27.  Be  careful  not  to  make  use  of  saltpetre  in  any  way 
whatever;  it  is  the  greatest  cold  of  anything  that  can  be 
taken  into  the  stomach,  and  was  never  intended  for  any  other 
purpo.se  than  to  destroy  life.  It  is  a  very  bad  practice  to  put 
it  on  meat,  for  itde.stroys  all  the  juices,  which  are  the  nour- 
ishing part,  and  leaves  the  flesh  hard  and  difficult  to  digest. 


IIOTAXIC  I'AMII.  Y  PHYSICIAN.  {f3 

28.  Never  eat  meat  that  is  tainted  or  any  way  injured, 
as  it  will  engender  disease;  for  one  ounce  in  the  stomach  is 
worse  than  the  effluvia  of  a  whole  carcass.  Eat  salt  provis- 
ions in  hot  weather,  and  fresh  in  cold. 

29.  Be  careful  about  drinking  cold  water  in  very  hot 
weather,  as  it  will  tend  to  let  down  the  inward  heat  so  sud- 
denly as  to  give  full  power  to  the  cold.  If  this  should  hap- 
pen, its  fatal  eflFects  may  be  prevented  by  giving  the  hot  medi- 
cine to  raise  the  inward  heat  above  the  outward.  Be  careful 
also  not  to  cool  suddenly  after  being  very  warm  in  conse- 
quence of  uncommon  exercise. 

30.  Remember  that  regularity  in  diet  is  very  important 
to  preserve  health,  and  that  if  more  food  is  taken  into  the 
stomach  than  is  well  digested,  it  clogs  the  system  and  causes 
disea.se.  Therefore  be  cautious  not  to  eat  too  much  at  a 
time,  and  have  your  food  well  cooked.  This  is  verj-  im- 
portant to  those  who  have  weakly  constitutions. 

31.  Ardent  spirit  is  slow  poison;  it  is  taken  to  stimulate, 
but  this  effect  is  .soon  over,  and  much  u.se  of  it  destroys  the 
tone  of  the  stomach,  injures  the  digestive  powers,  and  causes 
disease.  It  is  therefore  much  better,  when  the  feelings  re- 
quire anything  of  the  kind,  to  make  use  of  stimulating  med- 
icine, such  as  Nos.  2  and  6,  for  these  will  answer  a  far  better 
purpose. 

By  a  strict  observance  of  the  foregoing  directions,  you 
may  save  much  pain  and  expense,  and  enjoy  good  health 
and  long  life,  which  is  the  earnest  wish  of  the  writer. 

TO  MAKE  MILK  PORRIDGE. 

Put  a  quart  of  water  in  a  kettle  with  a  proper  quantity  of 
salt,  and  while  heating,  mix  a  gill  of  flour  in  a  bowl  with 
water/  made  thick,  and  when  the  water  is  boiling  hot,  drop 
this  into  it  with  a  spoon;  let  it  be  well  boiled,  then  add  half 
a  pint  of  milk.  This  to  be  eaten  while  under  the  operation 
of  the  medicine,  and  is  also  good  food  for  the  sick  at  any  other 
time,  especially  while  the  stomach  is  weak. 

TO  MAKE  CHICKEN  BROTH. 

Take  a  chicken  and  cut  it  in  pieces,  put 
with  it,  opened  and  cleaned,  but  not  peeled. 


the  gizzard  in 
Boil  it  till  the 


^1 


Is 


■;.fSi 


■  va'-'Jf'SiM,;.- 


!t4 


NEU-  cuini:  TO  health:  on. 


meat  drops  from  the  bone.  Begin  to  give  the  broth  as  soon 
as  there  is  any  strength  in  it,  and  when  boiled,  eat  some  of 
the  meat.  Let  it  be  well  seasoned.  This  may  be  given  in- 
stead of  the  milk  porridge,  and  is  very  gootl  for  weak  pa- 
tients, particularly  in  ca.ses  of  the  dysentery. 

When  the  operation  of  medicine  is  gone  through,  I  have 
said  that  the  patient  may  eat  any  kind  of  nourishing  food 
his  appetite  should  crave,  but  the  best  thing  is  to  take  a  slice 
of  salt  pork  boiled,  or  beef  steak,  well  done,  and  eat  it  with 
pepper-sauce;  or  take  cayenne,  vinegar  and  salt,  mixed  to- 
gether, and  eat  with  it,  which  is  very  good  to  create  an  appe- 
tite and  assist  the  digesture. 


Description  of  Several  Cases  of  Disease,  witii  Directions 
How  they  May  be  Cured. 

FELONS. 

This  sore  always  comes  on  a  joint,  and  is  often  caused  by 
some  strain  or  bruise,  which  makes  a  leak  in  the  joint  or 
muscle,  and  the  sooner  it  has  vent  the  better.  If  it  is  brought 
to  a  head  by  poulticing,  the  skin  is  often  so  thick  that  it 
will  be  caused  to  break  through  the  back  of  the  hand  before 
it  can  get  through  the  skin  on  the  inside.  The  best  way  to 
give  it  vent  that  I  have  ever  found,  is  to  bum  a  small  piece 
of  punk,  the  bigness  of  half  a  pea,  on  the  place  affected.  If 
you  think  the  flesh  is  dead  down  to  the  matter,  you  may 
prick  the  point  of  a  needle  into  the  dead  skin  and  raise  it  up 
and  cut  out  a  piece  under  the  needle  sufiicient  to  let  out  the 
matter;  then  apply  poultice  or  salve.  If  painfixl,  wrap  it  in 
cloths  of  several  thicknesses,  wet  with  cold  water,  and  repeat 
this  as  often  as  it  becomes  hot  or  painful.  Take  the  compo- 
sition or  warm  medicine,  to  keep  up  an  inward  heat. 

If  the  sore  has  been  several  days  coming,  and  appears 
nearly  ripe,  apply  a  piece  of  unslacked  lime  to  the  part  af- 
fected, wrap  it  up,  and  wet  the  cloth  with  cold  water  till  the 
lime  is  slacked,  and  repeat  this  till  the  skin  looks  of  a  purple 
color;  then  open  it  as  before  directed.  This  method  is  more 
safe  and  quick  in  causing  a  cure  than  laying  it  open  with  a 


BOTANIC  I'AMll.y  rHYSIClA.W 


95 


knife,  as  is  the  practice  of  some  doctors.  By  cutting  the  live 
flesh,  it  forms  a  leak  and  often  spoils  the  joint,  but  by  sear- 
ing them  bj-  either  of  the  above  modes,  it  secures  and  pre- 
vents the  leak,  and  makes  a  speedy  cure. 

FREEZES  AND  BURNS. 

These  two  names  of  disorder  are  one  and  the  .same  thijig, 
and  require  the  .same  treatment.  Take  a  cloth  wet  in  cold 
water,  and  wrap  several  thicknesses  round  or  laid  on  to  the 
part,  to  be  kept  wet  as  often  as  the  pain  increases.  Gi\fc 
warm  medicine  in.side.  If  the  .scald  is  dangerous,  carr\ 
them  through  a  regular  course  of  medicine  as  though  thev 
had  a  fever,  or  any  other  acute  disorder;  keep  the  cloth  or 
poultice  on  to  secure  it  from  the  air,  from  twelve  to  fourteen 
hours,  till  the  soreness  or  pain  is  entirely  gone.  If  the  skin 
is  off,  put  on  a  poultice  of  flour  bread,  wet  with  any  of  the 
articles  composing  No.  3,  and  keep  it  wet  with  this  tea  or 
water  till  the  sore  discharges;  then  wash  with  soap  suds; 
when  dres.sed,  wash  with  tea  of  No.  3,  and  continue  the 
poultice  or  salve  until  a  cure  is  effected. 

A  freeze  is  direct  cold,  and  a  bum  is  attracted  cold;  for  as 
much  as  the  heat  opens  the  pores  more  than  usual,  the  cold 
follows  and  closes  them  as  much  more  than  they  were  before 
the  operation  of  the  heat;  this  stops  the  perspiration  from  go- 
ing through  the  surface,  and  the  water  collects  under  the 
grain  of  the  skin,  which  is  called  blistering;  the  water  ap- 
plied in  the  cloth  on  the  outside  opens  the  pores  and  lets  the 
water  out  by  perspiration,  and  the  grain  adheres  to  the  skin; 
the  pain  cea.ses  and.  the  cure  is  completed. 

CURE  OF  MY  BROTHER'S  SON  OF  A  SCALD. 

He  was  about  fourteen  years  of  age,  and  was  taking  off 
from  the  fire  a  kettle  of  boiling  cider.  The  leg  of  the  kettle, 
caught  by  the  log,  tipped  it  forward  and  poured  the  cider 
boiling  hot  into  a  large  bed  of  live  embers,  which  covered  his 
bare  feet  with  this  hot  mass.  He  was  obliged  to  hold  on  till 
the  kettle  was  set  on  the  floor,  and  then  jumped  into  a  pail 
of  cold  water,  and  stood  there  until  his  father  procured  some 
cloths,  which  he  immediately  wrapped  his  feet  up  in.    His 


11 


If 


tHI  .V£ir  a(  IDE   TO  HEALTH;  ON, 

father  lay  by  the  fire  to  attend  to  pour  on  water,  to  keep  the 
cloths  filled,  which  keeps  the  air  from  the  surface,  and  eases 
the  pain,  for  as  the  water  wastes  and  lets  the  air  to  the  bum, 
the  pain  will  increase;  but  by  pursuing  this  course  for  about 
two  hours,  the  pain  abated,  and  the  boy  fell  a.sleep.  Water 
was  poured  on  the  cloth  but  two  or  three  times  during  the 
rest  of  the  night,  and  in  the  morning  preparation  was  made 
to  dress  the  wound,  when,  to  the  .surprise  of  all  present,  no 
blister  had  ari.sen,  nor  a  particle  of  skin  broken.  He  put  on 
his  stockings  and  shoes  as  usual,  and  went  about  his  work, 
perfectly  well. 

CASE  OF  A  BOY  WHO  WAS  BADLY  SCALDED. 

A  lady  took  off  from  the  fire  a  teakettle  filled  with  boil- 
ing hot  water,  when  her  little  .son,  about  six  years  old, 
stepped  on  the  bail  and  turned  the  contents  onto  both  his 
feet,  and  falling,  one  hand  went  into  the  teakettle.  Both  feet 
and  one  hand  were  badly  .scalded.  I  happened  to  be  present, 
and  immediately  tore  up  cloth  sufficient  to  do  up  each  part, 
wetting  them  with  cold  water.  I  then  put  him  in  bed  and 
gave  him  some  warm  medicine,  put  a  warm  stone  at  his  feet, 
and  wet  the  cloths  as  often  as  he  complained  of  pain.  In 
about  two  hours  he  fell  asleep,  after  which,  two  or  three 
times  wetting  the  cloths  kept  him  easy  through  the  night. 
In  the  morning,  on  taking  off  the  cloths,  there  was  no  ap- 
pearance of  blisters,  nor  any  skin  broken;  and  he  put  on  his 
shoes  and  stockings  and  appeared  as  well  as  before  the  acci- 
dent happened.  It  had  been  the  declared  opinion  of  the  family 
the  night  before,  that  the  boy  would  not  be  able  to  go  to 
school  for  a  fortnight;  but  on  finding  him  well  in  the  morn- 
ing, were  hardly  willing  to  believe  their  own  senses,  or  that 
the  child  had  been  scalded. 

OENEitAL  REMARKS  ON  BURNS. 

Burns  are  the  most  easily  cured,  if  rightly  managed  and 
understood,  of  any  wounds  I  ever  attended;  and  are  the  most 
difficult  and  dangerous  when  not  understood  and  wrongly 
treated.  How  often  have  we  .seen  these  sores  continue  all 
winter  and  could  not  be  healed,  as  also  burns  caused  by 


boil- 

old, 

i  his 

feet 
«nt, 

)art, 
and 

teet, 

In 

iree 

ght. 
ap- 

his 

ICCl- 

mily 

0  to 

orn- 
that 

and 
nost.            ' 

ngiy 

'  all 

I  by 

Ror.txfc  F.LVff. y  /'hvs/cmjV.  97 

blisters  made  with  Spanish  flies,  which  atnoiint  to  the  same 
thing?  By  not  being  treated  in  a  proper  matnier  in  season, 
the  canker  gets  in  and  eats  ont  the  flesh,  after  which  what 
is  called  prond  flesh  fills  np  the  sore.  The  doctor  applies  iiis 
sugar  of  lead,  vitriol  and  red  precipitate  to  eat  out  the  dead 
flesh.  This  affects  the  cords  and  draws  them  out  of  shape,  and 
many  times  makes  a  sore  that  they  cannot  cure,  which  ter- 
minates in  a  mortifying  canker  sore.  My  friends,  if  you  wish 
to  avoid  all  this  trouble,  attend  to  what  belongs  to  your 
peace  and  comfort,  before  it  is  hidden  from  your  eyes;  that 
is,  attend  to  the  canker,  which  always  awaits  such  cases, 
and  where  the  skin  is  off,  in  all  cases  of  burns  or  blisters,  ap- 
ply a  poultice  of  cracker,  or  elm  bark,  wet  with  a  tea  of  No. 
3,  until  the  canker  is  gone.  Sometimes  add  ginger;  if  tlie 
inflammation  is  high  add  a  little  of  No.  2  with  the  ginger, 
keeping  the  poultice  wet  with  cold  water;  when  the  sore  dis- 
charges, apply  salve  till  a  cure  is  effected. 

I  shall  continue  my  remarks  on  burns,  by  .showing  the 
evil  consequences  arising  from  blistering.  Not  long  since  I 
knew  a  case  where  a  doctor  drew  a  bli.ster  on  a  child's  brea.st 
up  to  the  heck,  for  being  stuffed  at  the  lungs.  It  lingered 
with  this  scald  near  its  vitals  about  a  week.  I  was  then  called 
to  visit  the  child  and  found  it  to  be  dying.  The  mother 
asked  me  what  I  thought  was  the  matter  with  it.  I  took  off 
the  dressing  and  showed  her  the  mortified  flesh  all  over  the 
blister,  and  told  her  that  was  the  disorder.  She  .seemed 
muchsurpri.sed,  and  I  then  asked  her  if  the  child  had  been 
.scalded  and  it  had  mortified  in  like  manner,  whether  she 
would  have  had  any  doubt  of  its  being  the  cause  of  her 
child's  death?  She  said  that  she  .should  not.  I  gave  her  my 
opinion  that  it  was  exactly  a  similar  case,  and  that  the 
child's  death  was  caused  as  much  by  the  blister  as  it  would 
have  been  by  a  scald.  The  child  died  before  morning.  I 
had  declined  doing  anything  for  it,  as  I  was  .satisfied  that 
I  could  do  it  no  good,  and  if  I  had  made  the  attempt  it  would 
have  been  said  that  I  killed  it. 

I  have  seen  many  cases  where  I  was  perfectly  satisfied 
that  the  patients  died  in  consequence  of  blisters,  not  only  on 
the  stomach,  but  on  the  head.     In   many  that  I  have  wit- 


f 


w  .v/: II  (.///)/■:  TO  ///■:. I /.///,() a; 

nessecl,  where  a  blister  was  drawn  on  the  head,  as  soon  as  it 
began  to  draw  their  senses  were  gone,  and  did  not  rctnrn 
till  they  died  raving  or  stupefied.  More  than  half  the  cases 
where  the  head  was  shaved  and  blistered  that  have  come 
witliin  my  knowledge  have  died.  I  never  could  see  an>- 
reason  why  a  scald  on  the  head  or  body,  done  on  purpose, 
should  have  a  tendency  to  effect  a  cure  when  the  {lerson  is 
sick,  and  the  same  thing  happeiiing  to  them  by  accident, 
when  well,  should  destroy  their  health  or  cause  their  death. 
If  a  person  .should  have  their  head  or  stomach  .so  badly 
scalded  as  to  take  off  the  skin,  we  .should  con.sider  them  in 
the  most  dangerous  condition;  but  nothing  is  said  aljout  it 
when  drawn  on  purpose.  I  shall  leave  it  to  the  reader  to 
reconcile,  if  he  can,  this  inconsi.stency.  I  have  known  mo.st 
dangerous  stranguries  caused  b>-  blisters  on  the  .sides  and 
limbs,  and  those  who  applied  them  did  not  know  the  cause, 
and  I  have  been  applied  to  for  relief. 

MORTIFICATION  OF  THE  LIMBS. 


1  was  called  on  to  go  on  board  a  vessel  at  Eastport,  to  see 
'a  young  man  who  had  had  a  block  fall  from  mast  head  on 
his  foot,  weighing  thirteen  and  a-half  pounds;  which  brui.sed 
all  his  toes  to  pieces  except  the  little  one.  The  accident  hap- 
pened on  Friday,  and  I  did  not  see  him  till  the  Tuesday  fol- 
lowing, during  which  he  had  neither  eat  nor  .slept.  His 
nerves  were  much  affected,  and  he  had  spa.sms  and  convulsions 
through  the  whole  system.  I  took  off  the  dressing  from  his 
foot,  and  found  it  black  and  the  smell  very  offensive:  The 
captain  of  the  vessel,  who  appeared  to  be  very  anxious  about 
him.  asked  me  if  I  could  help  his  foot.  I  told  him  that  I  must 
first  tr\-  to  .save  his  life,  for  liis  whole  body  was  as  much 
disordered  as  his  foot.  He  requested  me  to  do  what  I  thought 
best.  I  put  a  poultice  of  meal  on  his  foot,  and  wet  the  cloth 
with  cold  water  to  allay  the  heat;  then  gave  him  medicine 
the  same  as  though  he  had  been  attacked  with  a  nervous  fe- 
ver. The  captain  attended  him  through  the  night,  and  I 
went  to  see  him  the  next  morning,  and  found  him  much  bet- 
ter.    The  captain  said  he  was  astonished  at  the  operation  of 


nOTAXtC  I'ARIII.y  I'HVSICI.W.  w 

the  medicine,  for  that  his  voinitiiix  aii<l  sweatiujr  had  carried 
off  all  the  pain  in  his  body  and  foot,  and  had  also  reconciled 
the  nerves. 

I  unhonnd  his  foot  and  found  that  the  black  and  yellow 
streaks  up   the  leg  had  disappeared,   and  on  the  fwt  all  the 
flesh  that  war;  alive  seemed  to  receive  fresh  support  from  the 
body,  and  the  living  and  dead  flesh  appeared  as  though  two 
colors  were  painted  by  the  side  of  each  other.     I  then  made 
a  lye  of  pearlash  in   warm  water,    and  soaked  his  feet  in  it, 
which  cau.sed  a. slimy  glaze  all  over  his  foot:  this  t(X)k  away 
all  the  offensive  .smell,  and  I  washed  it  with   vinegar  to  kill 
the  alkali  and  keep  it   from   irritating  the  skin.     The  acid 
cleared  off"  all    the   slimy  matter,  so  that  it  wiped  clean.     I 
then  cut  off  the  great  toe  at   the   middle  joint,  and  the  two 
tiext  at  the  upper  joint,  and  set  the  next,  which  was  broken. 
I  cut  none  of  the  flesh  but  what  was  dead,  to  stop  in  part  the 
putrefaction.     I  then  put  on  another  poultice  and  ordered  it 
to  be  kept  wet  with   cold  water,  and  a  warm  stone  wrapped 
in  a  wet  cloth  to  be  put  to  his  feet  to   keep  a  steam,  giving 
him  warm  medicine  inside  to  keep  up  the   inward  heat;  and 
by  wetting  the  foot  with  cold  water,  it  kept  the  determining 
power  to  the  surface,  thus  raising  the  fountain  and  lowering 
the  stream.     By   this   treatment   it  becomes  impo.ssible  that 
mortification  can   go   from  the  limbs  to  the  body,  any  more 
than  a  log  that  floats  over  the  dam  can   go   back  again  into 
the  pond,  when  the  fountain  is  kept  full.     The  next  day  I 
dressed  his  foot  and  found  that  the  dead  flesh   had  digested 
very  much;  I  again  soaked  it  in  pearlash,  and  then  washed 
in  vinegar  as  before,  which  was  of  great  service  in  allaying 
the  bad  smell.     I  then  caused   him  to   be  carried  through  a 
regular  course  of  medicine,    which  completely  restored  his 
bodily  health;  his  appetite  was  good,  and  all  pain  and  .sore- 
ness abated,  so  that  he  took  food  regularly,  and  lost  no  sleep 
afterwards  till  he  got  entirely  well,  which  was  in  about  four 
weeks.     The  captain  was  a  very  good   nurse,  and  was  faith- 
ful in  attendance  on  the  young  man  till  he  got  well,  and  ex- 
pressed the  highest  gratitude  for  my  attention  and  .success; 
and   as  a  proof  of  his  confidence  in  the  medicine,  he  pur- 
chased a  right,   for  which  he  paid  me  twenty  silver  dollars. 


I 


KKi  A/;//    m  IDIi   TO  HEALTH;  Oh\ 

<)hser\  ijin  at  the   same  time  thnt  he  never  ^^nid  for  anything 
\vitl>  more  satisfaction. 

OLD  CANKER  SORES  ON  THE  LEGS. 

When  I  was  a  yonng  man  I  was  much  troubled  throuKh 
the  winter,  for  many  years,  with  sores  on  my  legs.  At  the 
commencement  of  cold  weather,  if  I  broke  the  graiji  on  my 
shin,  it  would  become  a  bad  .sore,  and  continue  through  the 
winter;  the  canker  would  get  into  it  and  eat  to  the  bone,  and 
sometimes  spread  under  the  grain  like  a  burn,  and  feci  the 
same,  being  extremely  sore,  with  .stings  and  twinges  like  a 
cancer.  These  sores  were  so  troublesome  that  it  led  me  to 
invent  a  cure.  Finding  the  cause  to  be  canker,  I  took  some  of 
the  articles  composing  No.  3,  steeped  strong,  and  washed 
the  part  affected  with  it.  If  there  was  a  bad  .smell,  I  first 
washed  the  sore  with  strong  soap  .suds,  taking  off  all  the 
loo.se  skin  which  was  blistered  with  cankery  humor,  and  then 
wa.shed  with  a  tea  of  No.  3  to  destroy  the  canker  and  harden 
the  sore,  sometimes  wetting  it  with  the  drops.  If  the  in- 
flammation runs  high,  and  the  sore  spreads  fa.st,  I  put  into 
it  a  pinch  of  fine  No.  2;  then  put  on  a  poultice  of  white 
bread  and  ginger,  wet  with  the  above  tea,  wrapping  it  up 
with  several  thicknes.ses  of  cloths  wet  with  cold  water;  wet- 
ting them  as  often  as  dry,  so  as  to  be  painful,  and  did  not  let 
the  sore  come  to  the  air  for  twenty-four  hours.  In  this  time, 
if  kept  well  wet  and  warm,  it  will  discharge  ripe  matter,  and 
the  inflammation  and  canker  will  abate.  When  next  dressed, 
wash  first  with  soap  suds  as  before,  then  with  the  tea;  if  the 
soreness  is  gone,  you  may  apply  the  healing  salve,  with  the 
wet  cloths,  if  going  to  bed,  to  keep  out  the  air;  put  occasion- 
ally a  hot  stone  wrapped  in  wet  cloths  to  the  feet  to  keep  up 
a  steam,  wetting  the  sore  if  painful  with  cold  water. 
Take  medicine  to  keep  up  the  inward  heat,  such  as  compo- 
sition or  hot  bitters,  and  when  these  do  not  answer  the  pur- 
pose, go  through  a  course  of  the  medicine,  and  repeat  as  oc- 
casion may  require.  This  method,  if  persevered  in,  I  sel- 
dom knew  to  fail  of  success. 

I  was  called  to  attend  a  case  of  this  kind  not  long  since, 
where  the  inflammation  and  pain  were  very  great,  and  fast 


nor.  ixn  ■  i-wmii.  y  /•/ns/i  i.  ix. 


m 


spreadiiiK  under  the  irmm  of  the  skin:  there  had  been  ap- 
pliefl  ail  ehn  and  ginger  poultice,  made  with  tea  of  No.  .v  I 
opened  and  only  added  a  pinch  of  No.  2,  and  hiid  on  the 
jKniltice  again,  putting  on  a  wet  cloth:  and  ordered  it  kept 
wet  with  cold  water  till  next  morning,  when  on  dressing  it. 
found  the  ijiflamniation  abated,  the  sore  discharged  ripe  mat- 
ter, and  by  two  dressings  more  of  the  same,  the  cure  wns 
completed. 

CASE  OF  THE  BITE  OF  A  RAT,  SUPPOSED  TO  BE  MAD. 

Not  long  since  I  was  sent  for  to  attend   a  man  who  had 
been  bitten   on    one  of  his  eyebrows  bj-  a  rat,    supposed 
to  be  mad.     The  .wound  healed  in  a  few  days,  then  turned 
purple  round  it,  as  though  the  blood  had  settled,  and  turned 
more  black,  until  he  was  blind.     He   was  .sick  at  the  stom- 
ach, and  had  a  high  fever.     I  carried  him  through  a  course 
of  the   medicine,    but  with   little  advantage.     The  .swelling 
and  dark  color  progres.sed  till  he  was  about  the  color  of  a 
blackberry  pie.     These   appearances   led  me  to  suspect  that 
the  madness  of  the  rat   was  caused   by  eating  rat.sbane,  and 
communicated  this  poison  to  the  man  by  the  bite,  as  he  ap- 
peared the  same  as  a  persoti  I  had  once  seen  who  had  been 
killed  by  taking  that  poison.     I   then    wa.shed  his  face  with 
a  strong  tea  of  Nos.  i  and  2,  and  gave  the  .same  inward  with 
No.    3,    carried  hini   through   another  course  of  medicine, 
keeping  a  cloth   on   his   face  wet   with  the  tea  as  before,  to 
keep  out  the  air  when   under  the  operation  of  the  medicine, 
to  sweat  his  face  and  throw  the  poison  out.     I  kept  him  in  a 
sweat  for  several  days,  occasion?' Ij-   with   his   face   secured 
ffom  the  air,  which  method  had  the  desired  effect  of  bring- 
ing the  poison  out.     By  continually  keeping  up  the  perspi- 
ration, the  swelling  abated,  but  whenever  this  was  not  well 
attended  to,   .so   as  to   keep  the  determining  powers  to  the 
.surface,  the  spasms  would  increase  to  such  a  degree  that  his 
life  was  frequently  despaired  of.     He  was  carefully  attended 
in  this  manner  about  one  month  before  I  could  determine  in 
my  own  mind  whether  the  disease  or  nature  would  gain  the 
victory;  after  which   time  he   began  gradually  to  gain  his 
health,  and  in  about  six  months  he   appeared  to  be  clear  of 


II 


i. 


Hi 

k  I 


•;'•! '  ■',  '.'.■!!!**'•' 


1(12 


.\7:ir  criDE  to  health:  or. 


the  poison.  The  man  was  sixty  years  of  age,  and  the  acci- 
dent happening  in  the  fall  of  the  year,  it  was  much  more 
difficult  to  conquer  this  cold  and  deadly  poison,  than  it  would 
have  been  in  warm  weather.  This  case  convinced  me  that 
the  cause  of  mad  rats  and  mad  cats  is  owing  to  the  rats  hav- 
ing been  poi.soned  by  ratsbane;  the  cats  eat  them  and  become 
affected  by  the  poison,  which  makes  them  mad,  and  by  bit- 
ing the  people  communicate  the  poison  from  which  many  fa- 
tal consequences  have  frequently  happened. 

BAD  WOUND  IN  THE   EYE  CURED. 

While  I  was  at  Eastport,  Maine,  a  man  was  cutting  turf 
about  twelve  miles  from  that  place,  and  accidentally  had  a 
pitchfork  stuck  into  one  of  his  eyes  by  a  person  who  was 
pitching  the  turf  near  him.  It  passed  by  the  eyeball  atid 
stuck  fast  in  the  skull,  so  that  it  was  with  considerable  exer- 
tion that  he  could  draw  it  out.  The  eye  swelled  and  closed 
up  immediately,  and  the  people  were  much  frightened  and 
sent  for  me,  but  it  so  happened  that  I  could  not  go.  I  gave 
directions  to  the  man  who  came  after  me  to  return  and  carry 
him  through  a  course  of  medicine  as  .soon  as  possible,  keep- 
ing several  thicksiesses  of  cloth  wet  with  cold  water  on  hi? 
eye,  and  r.ot  open  it  for  twelve  hours,  and  to  keep  him  in  a 
per.spiration  the  whole  time.  This  was  faithfully  attended 
to,  and  on  opening  the  wound  after  the  above  time,  the 
swelling  was  all  gone,  the  eye  was  open,  and  a  large  quan- 
tity of  blood  was  in  the  wet  cloth  which  had  been  drawn  from 
the  eye.  They  continued  the  wet  cloth  and  gave  him  warm 
medicine  inside,  keeping  him  in  a  gentle  perspiration  for  the 
next  twenty-four  hours,  which  cleared  the  eye  of  all  the 
blood,  restored  the  sight,  and  amended  his  health  that  he 
was  well  in  about  a  week,  to  the  astoilishment  of  all  who  saw 
him. 

CANCER  SORES, 

A  conci.se  and  general  treatise  on  this  violent  and  often 
fatal  disease  may  convey  some  useful  ideas  on  the  subject. 
The  cause  of  this  sore  is  very  little  understood.  In  all  sores 
of  an  eating  nature  there  is  more  or  less  canker,  according  to 
their  violence.     A  cancer  is  the  highest  degree  of  canker. 


I  the  acci- 
iiich  more 

II  it  would 
i  me  that 

rats  hav- 
id  become 
nd  by  bit- 

manv  fa- 


ittiiig  turf 
Uy  had  a 

I  who  was 
eball  and 
able  exer- 
md  closed 
tened  and 
I.  I  gave 
and  carry 
ble,  keep- 
iter  on  hi? 
>  him  in  a 

attended 
time,  the 
irge  quan- 
rawn  from 
him  warm 
ion  for  the 
of  all  the 
h   that  he 

II  who  saw 


:  and  often 
le  subject, 
n  all  sores 
cording  to 
of  canker, 


nOTAXIC  FAMH.y  PHYSrClAX.  1(»;5 

being  the  most  powerful  effects  of  cold,  and  conse(|uently  the 
greatest  degree  of  inflammation;  therefore  the  remedies 
ought  to  be  those  of  a  warming  nature  as  the  greatest  pre- 
ventives against  canker.  Whenever  a  violent  inflammation 
is  discovered,  it  is  supposed  that  heat  causes  the  difficulty; 
but  the  fact  is,  it  is  only  evidence  of  a  war  between  heat  and 
cold,  for  there  is  no  inflanunation  where  there  is  perfect 
health,  because  heat  then  bears  complete  rule,  and  no  dis- 
ease can  take  place  until  the  cold  makes  an  attack  on  the 
body,  which  causes  an  unnatural  heat,  to  oppose  an 
unnatural  cold.  Wherever  the  cold  takes  possession,  the 
inflammation  shows  itself,  by  .stopping  the  circulation; 
the  effect  is  swelling,  inflamed  callous,  arising  from 
some  leak  caused  by  the  natural  course  being  stopped. 
If  it  suppurates  and  di,scharges,  it  is  called  ulcer,  bile,  and 
the  like,  and  the  canker  goes  off  with  the  putrefaction.  If 
the  leak  is  so  .slow  as  to  callous  as  fast  as  they  discharge  it,  it 
becomes  a  hard,  dead  lump  of  flesh,  and  not  having  circula- 
tion enough  to  support  it,  it  begins  to  rot.  Here  the  canker 
shows  its  eating  nature;  being  seated  in  the  dead  flesh,  and 
eating  on  the  live  flesh,  which  is  intermixed  with  it,  it  causes 
pain  and  distress  in  proportion  as  the  body  is  filled  with  cold- 
ness and  canker;  if  this  is  .sufficient  to  keep  the  power  above 
the  natural  circulation,  the  patient  will  continue  in  this  dis- 
tressed situation,  being  eaten  up  alive,  until  worn  out  with 
the  pain,  death  comes  as  a  friend  to  relieve  them.  This  is  the 
natural  termination  of  this  dreadful  malady,  which  is  far 
better  than  to  combine  with  it  the  common  form  of  practice 
in  using  arsenic,  which  only  helps  to  eat  up  and  di.stress  the 
patient. 

In  order  to  give  a  more  correct  idea  of  the  dangerous  effect 
of  making  u.se  of  arsenic  in  cancers,  I  shall  make  a  short  ex- 
tract from  Thacher's  Dispensatory  on  the  subject:  "Arsenic 
has  long  been  known  to  be  the  basis  of  the  celebrated  cancer 
powder.  It  has  been  sprinkled  in  .substance  on  the  ulcer, 
but  this  mode  of  using  it  is  excessively  painful  and  extreme- 
ly dangerous,  fatal  effects  having  been  produced  from  its  ab- 
sorption. This  fact  I  have  known  in  several  instances  where 
Davidson's  agents  and  others  have  undertaken  to  draw  out 


104  NEiV  GriDE  TO  HEALTH;  OR, 

cancers  when  the  patient  would  absorb  enough  of  this  poison, 
which,  seating  on  the  hnigs,  caused  them  to  die  with  the  con- 
sumption in  the  course  of  one  year."  My  wish  in  exposing 
this  nostrum  is  to  benefit  those  who  may  be  ignorant  of  the 
imposition,  for  it  may  be  relied  on  as  a  truth,  that  there  is 
more  or  less  poison  in  all  those  burning  plasters  used  to  cure 
cancers,  and  I  would  advise  all  to  beware  of  them;  it  will  be 
much  safer  to  risk  the  cancer  than  the  cancer  quack. 

The  principal  object  aimed  at  is  to  take  out  the  bunch, 
and  in  doing  that  by  the  above  method,  a  worse  evil  is  in- 
oculated, which  is  more  fatal  than  the  cancer.  The  tumor 
is  a  mixture  of  live  and  dead  flesh,  and  is  often  under  a  live 
skin;  if  it  isneces.sary  to  make  an  incision  through  the  live 
skin  in  order  to  dissolve  the  dead  flesh,  the  best  way  is  to 
burn  a  piece  of  punk  on  the  place,  and  repeat  it  till  the  flesh 
is  dead  enough  to  suppurate.  The  smart  will  be  but  two  or 
three  minutes,  and  not  so  painful  as  the  arsenic  for  the  same 
time,  which  will  last  for  twelve  hours.  Where  the  tumor  is 
small,  the  cancer  balsam  will  be  found  sufficient,  by  repeat- 
ing the  plaster  for  two  or  three  weeks,  to  take  out  the  dead 
flesh  and  remove  the  canker;  after  this  is  done,  apply  a 
ginger  and  elm  poultice  wet  with  a  tea  of  No.  3.  If  the  sys- 
tem appears  to  be  generally  affected  with  the  cancer  humor, 
carry  them  through  a  common  course  of  medicine,  and  re- 
peat <he  same  while  attending  to  the  sore. 

1  had  a  cancer  on  my  foot  about  the  bigness  of  an  Indian 
corn,  which  had  troubled  me  twice  by  acute  darting  pains 
and  twinges.  I  cured  it  by  applying  a  plaster  of  the  cancer 
balsam,  repeating  it  twice  at  each  time.  Where  there  is  dead 
flesh  under  the  .skin,  it  is  best  to  burn  the  punk  first  and  then 
apply  the  poultice  or  balsam ;  and  it  is  also  recommended  to 
always  give  medicine  to  eradicate  the  canker  from  the  sys- 
tem, both  before  and  after  the  operation  on  the  sore. 

Three  cancers  on  the  breast  have  come  under  my  care 
that  I  could  not  cure.  One  of  them  was  as  large  as  a  half- 
peck  measure,  and  grew  fast  to  the  brea.st  bone.  I  carried 
the  woman  through  a  course  of  medicine  .several  time*,  and 
applied  a  poultice  of  butternut  shucks  to  dissolve  the  dead 
flesh,  and  continued  this  course  for  .some  months,  until  the 


BOTANIC  FAMIL  Y  PHYSICIAN. 


1(».-) 


bunch  had  more  than  half  dissolved,  and  had  grown  off  from 
the  bone  so  that  it  was  quite  loose,  and  I  was  in  hopes  to 
have  effected  a  cure,  but  she  was  taken  with  a  fever  in  mj- 
absence  and  died.  The  other  two  I  could  relieve  and  keep 
them  free  from  pain,  making  them  comfortable  as  long  as 
they  lived,  but  nature  was  too  far  exhausted  to  complete  a 
cure.  I  have  had  under  my  care  many  other  cases  of  cancers 
on  the  breast  and  other  parts  of  the  body,  which  I  had  no 
difficulty  in  curing  in  the  manner  before  stated. 

I  shall  conclude  this  subject  by  a  few  general  remarks, 
viz. :  Guard  thoroughly  against  canker  and  coldness.  At- 
tend to  the  canker  by  a  course  of  medicine,  and  repeat  it. 
Use  the  ginger  poultice  if  the  inflammation  is  great,  putting 
some  No.  2  raw  in  the  sore;  then  apph-  the  poultice,  keeping 
it  wet  with  cold  water,  not  forgetting  the  composition  and 
No.  2  inside  at  the  same  time.  Let  all  poisonous  drugs, 
burning  plasters  and  caustics  alone.  Attend  faithfully  to 
the  directions  here  given;  honor  your  own  judgment;  keep 
your  money,  and  bid  defiance  to  doctors. 

PILES;  HOW  CURED. 

•I  was  called  to  attend  an  elderl)'  man  in  South  Reading, 
who  had  been  confined  to  the  house,  and  much  of  the  time 
to  his  bed,  for  seven  weeks,  with  the  piles.  Seven  doctors 
attended  him  before  I  was  sent  for,  and  he  had  continued  to 
grow  worse.  The  doctors  had  operated  on  one  side,  and 
said  they  must  on  the  other;  it  was  their  opinion,  as  well  as 
his,  that  he  was  in  a  decline.  The  side  that  they  had  oper- 
ated upon  was  much  worse  to  cure  than  the  other.  I  car- 
ried him  through  a  regular  course  of  medicine  twice  in  three 
days,  when  he  was  able  to  go  out  of  doors.  The  injection 
composed  of  No.  3,  steeped,  and  a  small  quantity  of  No.  2 
were  used;  warm  tallow  was  applied  freely  several  times  in 
the  day,  .sometimes  washing  externally  with  the  same  tea. 
He  had  been  dieted  ver}-  low;  I  restored  his  digestive  powers, 
and  recovered  his  appetite;  his  sores  healed,  and  his  general 
health  amended  to  such  a  degree  that  he  was  no  more  con- 
fined with  that  complaint.     A  little  tallow  used  when  going 


I  fit 


IWl 


106  yi:W  Gl  IDE  TO  HEALTH;  OR, 

to  bed    prevents  piles  and   chafes  in   old  and  yonng.     Re- 
member this. 

SORE  HEADS  IN  CHILDREN  (Scald  Heads). 

This  sore  often  comes  after  having  had  the  itch;  kernels 
form  in  the  neck;  it  is  contagious,  being  caused  by  canker 
and  putrefaction.  The  most  effectual  way  to  cure  this  dis- 
ea.se  is  to  carry  them  through  a  course  of  medicine  several 
times,  as  the  case  may  require,  previous  to  which  the  head 
should  be  oiled  and  covered  with  cabbage  leaves;  or  draw  a 
bladder  over  the  head  to  keep  out  the  cold  air.  The  head 
should  be  covered  so  as  to  make  it  sweat  as  much  as  possi- 
ble, in  order  to  dissolve  the  hard  scabs.  After  lying  all 
night  the  smell  will  be  offen.sive;  wa.sh  the  head  in  soapsuds; 
when  clean,  wash  it  also  with  a  tea  of  No.  3,  after  which  wa.sh 
with  a  tea  of  No.  i.  Sometimes  annoint  it  with  the  rheumatic 
drops  and  nerve  ointment, and  let  it  come  to  the  air  by  degrees. 
Be  careful  to  guard  the  stomach  by  giving  composition,  warm 
bitters,  etc.  The  ointment,  drops  and  No.  i,  in  powder  or 
juice,  may  be  occasionally  used  together  or  separate.  Con- 
tinue to  wash  with  .soap  suds,  and  then  with  No.  3  occasion- 
ally, until  a  cure  is  effected. 

SORE  BREASTS. 

Some  women  suffer  very  much  from  this  complaint, 
which  is  caused  by  cold,  occasioning  obstructions  in  the 
glands  of  the  breast.  When  they  are  swelled,  bathe  with  the 
rheumatic  drops,  or  pepper  vinegar;  if  this  does  not  remove 
the  swelling,  and  it  should  be  necessary  to  bring  it  to  ahead, 
apply  a  poultice  of  lily  root,  made  thick  with  ginger  or  slip- 
pery elm  bark;  at  the  same  time  give  the  composition  pow- 
der or  No.  2,  to  keep  up  the  inward  heat.  If  the  woman  is 
sick,  carry  her  through  a  regular  course  of  the  medicine, 
which  will  remove  the  complaint  and  restore  her  to  health 
in  a  .short  time.  I  have  cured  many  who  were  very  bad  by 
pursuing  the  above  plan,  and  never  met  with  difficulty.  I 
attended  a  woman  in  Portsmouth  who  had  both  breasts  badly 
swelled.  She  was  sitting  by  the  window  with  it  up,  and 
could  hardly  get  her  breath;  she  could  not  bear  to  have  any 


nOTANIC  F.IIMIL  Y  PHYSICr.lX. 


1(17 


fire  ill  tlie  room,  complaining  that  it  made  her  faint.  I  told 
her  that  if  I  could  Jiot  make  her  bear  heat,  I  could  do  her  no 
good.  I  gave  her  some  No.  2  to  rai.se  the  inward  heat,  and 
caused  a  good  fire  to  be  made  in  the  room.  The  inward 
heat  gained  as  fast  as  the  outward,  and  in  one  hour  she 
could  bear  as  warm  a  fire  as  I  could.  I  carried  her  through 
three  regular  courses  of  the  medicine  in  five  da\s,  and  at  the 
.same  time  applied  the  lily  poultice,  which  brought  them  to 
a  head  without  pain,  and  she  was  soon  well. 

TO  STOP  BLEEDING. 

Internal  bleeding  is  from  the  stomach  or  lungs,  and  is 
caused  by  canker  or  soreness  of  the  stomach ;  it  often  takes 
place  very  suddenly,  and  creates  nmch  alarm.  The  patient 
sometimes  trembles  with  fright,  and  often  has  fits  of  the 
ague,  which  is  caused  by  the  cold  increasing  in  proportion 
to  the  loss  of  blood.  In  the  first  place,  shield  them  from  the 
air  with  a  blanket,  by  the  fire,  and  give  the  hottest  medicine 
you  have;  if  nothing  better  can  be  had,  give  hot  water  or  any 
kind  of  hot  tea,  and  get  a  perspiration  as  .soon  as  possible: 
then  apply  the  steam  bath,  giving  ginger  tea,  or  No.  2  if 
you  have  it,  if  not,  black  pepper.  As  soon  as  there  is  an 
equilibrium  in  the  circulation,  there  will  be  no  more  pressure 
of  the  blood  to  the  stomach  or  lungs  than  to  the  extremities, 
and  the  bleeding  will  cea.se.  It  has  been  my  practice  in 
cases  of  this  kind  to  give  some  of  the  rheumatic  drops,  shield 
them  fropi  the  air  with  a  blanket,  placed  by  the  fire;  then 
give  a  dose  of  the  composition  powders,  and  No.  2 ;  and  if 
this  does  not  answer  the  purpose,  give  a  dose  of  No.  i , 
which,  with  the  steam,  I  never  knew  fail  of  stopping  the 
blood,  and  by  gfiving  medicine  to  remove  the  canker  and  re- 
store the  digestive  powers,  I  have  always  been  able  to  eflfect 
a  cure.  The  same  application  will  an.swer  for  other  weaken- 
ing and  alarming  complaints  in  women. 

External  bleeding,  caused  by  wounds  in  the  limbs,  may 
be  stopped  by  placing  the  wound  higher  than  the  body. 
One  of  my  sons  cut  his  leg  ver>'  badly;  I  placed  him  on  the 
floor  and  took  his  foot  in  my  lap;  as  soon  as  the  wound  was 
higher  than  the  body,  the  bleeding  ceased.     I  then   poured 


^1 


lOM  A'/iU'  GUIDE  TO  HEALTH;  OR, 

on  cold  water  till  the  wrtund  was  white;  then  put  in  a  few 
drops  of  No.  6,  took  two  or  three  stitches  to  bring  the  wound 
together,  dressed  it  with  salve,  and  it  soon  got  well  with  very 
little  soreness.  Another  ca.se  was  of  a  little  girl  who  cut  off 
the  main  arterj  of  the  middle  finger,  and  it  bled  verj'  fa.st.  I 
put  my  thumb  above  the  wound  and  stopped  the  blood;  then 
poured  on  cold  water  with  my  other  hand,  and  washed  the 
wound  well;  then  placed  her  hand  above  her  head,  which 
prevented  it  from  bleeding  till  I  could  get  ready  to  dress  the 
wound.     It  bled  no  more,  and  soon  got  well. 

RUPTURE. 

This  difficulty  is  caused  by  a  hurt  or  strain,  which  makes 
a  breach  in  the  tough  film,  or  membrane,  that  supports  the 
bowels  in  their  place,  and  the  intestines  come  down  into  the 
cavity  between  this  membrane  and  the  skin.  Being  sometimes 
very  painful  and  difficult  to  be  got  back,  and  have  to  be  kept 
from  coming  down  by  a  truss.  When  the  bowels  come  down 
and  remain  any  length  of  time,  they  become  swelled,  and  are 
very  painful,  causing  great  distress  and  danger;  and  some- 
times have  proved  fatal,  as  they  cannot  be  got  up  again  till 
the  swelling  is  removed.  This  may  be  effected  by  a  course 
of  the  medicine  without  danger. 

A  Mr.  Woodbury,  of  Durham,  was  troubled  with  a  rup- 
ture;.his  bowels  came  down,  swelled,  and  were  very  painful. 
A  doctor  was  .sent  for  from  Portsmouth,  who  applied  a  bag  of 
snow,  which  drove  the  pain  to  the  stomach  and  caused  puk- 
ing. The  swelling  increased  and  became  ver>-  hard.  The 
ca.se  now  becoming  desperate,  and  the  family  being  alarmed, 
I  was  sent  for,  and  on  hearing  the  circumstances,  sent  some 
medicine  and  gave  directions  to  sweat  him  as  soon  as  possi- 
ble. My  directions  were  faithfully  attended  to,  and  as  soon 
as  he  became  warm,  the  nerves  slackened,  the  swelling 
abated,  all  appearance  of  mortification  disappeared,  the  bow- 
els went  back,  and  in  twelve  hours  he  was  restored  from  a 
dangerous  .situation  to  almost  his  usual  state  of  health.  In 
this  ca.se  may  be  seen  the  difference  between  the  artificial  and 
nature's  physician,  which  is  the  same  as  between  fire  and 
.snow. 


no  PANIC  FAMILY  PHYSICIAN. 
AGUE  IN  THE  FACE. 


KID 


This  is  caused  by  cold  in  the  glands  of  the  mouth,  which 
keeps  back  the  saliva  till  it  causes  swelling  and  soreness;  the 
canker  becomes  prevalent  at  the  same  time,  which  causes  se- 
vere pain  in  the  face  and  throat.  The  sooner  a  cure  is  at- 
tempted the  better;  to  effect  this,  take  a  dose  of  the  tea  of 
No.  3,  with  a  teaspoonful  of  No.  6  in  it,  for  the  canker;  then 
tie  a  .small  quantity  of  No.  2  in  a  fine  piece  of  cloth,  wet  with 
No.  6,  and  put  it  between  the  teeth  and  cheek,  on  the  side 
where  the  pain  is;  sit  by  the  fire  covered  with  a  blanket,  and 
breathe  the  warm  air  from  the  fire;  this  will  prick  the  glands 
and  cause  the  saliva  to  flow  very  freely,  which  will  take  out 
the  soreness  and  relieve  the  pain.  The  face  may  be  bathed 
at  the  .same  time  with  No.  6.  If  the  ca.se  is  of  long  .stand- 
ing, so  that  the  sy.stem  is  affected,  and  this  does  not  remove 
the  complaint,  give  a  dose  of  No.  i .  If  it  is  caused  by  de- 
cayed teeth,  fill  the  hollow  with  cotton  wool,  wet  with  oil  of 
summer-savory,  or  .spirits  of  turpentine,  which  will  deaden 
the  nerve  and  stop  its  aching.  This  is  good  in  all  cases  of 
teethache,  and  will  generally  effect  a  cure  without  extract- 
ing. 

TO  RELAX  THE  MUSCLES  IN  SETTING  A  BONE. 

This  may  be  done  by  bathing  the  part  with  warm  water, 
and  is  much  better  than  the  method  that  is  generally  prac- 
ticed of  extending  the  muscles  by  the  strength  of  .several 
persons,  which  weakens  the  part  so  much  that  the  bones  are 
liable  to  get  out  of  place  again;  besides,  the  operation  causes 
severe  pain  to  the  patient  and  much  trouble  to  the  operator, 
which  is  all  obviated  by  my  method.  In  cases  where  a  joint 
is  put  out,  or  a  bone  broken,  give  a  dose  of  No.  2,  or  the 
composition  powder,  with  half  a  teaspoonful  of  nerve  pow- 
der, which  will  promote  a  perspiration,  prevent  fainting,  and 
quiet  the  nerves;  then  wrap  the  part  in  cloths  wet  with  water 
as  hot  as  it  can  be  borne,  and  pour  on  the  warm  water,  plac- 
ing a  pan  underneath  to  catch  it,  for  a  short  time,  when  the 
muscles  will  become  relaxed,  so  that  the  bones  may  be  put 
in  their  place  with  little  trouble. 

I  was  once  called  to  a  woman  who  had  put  her  elbow  out 


'  i 


111) 


x/:ir  Gi '//)/■:  ro  mi.ii.ni:  on. 


I 
% 

I 


of  joint  by  a  fall  froiii  her  horse.  It  was  badly  out,  being 
twisted  about  one  quarter  of  the  way  round.  I  ordered  some 
water  to  be  made  hot  immediately,  stripped  her  arm,  and  as 
soon  as  the  water  was  hot,  put  a  towel  in  a  large  tin  pan  and 
poured  the  hot  water  on  it  till  well  wet;  as  .soon  as  cool 
enough,  wrapped  it  round  her  arm  from  her  wrist  to  her 
.shoulder;  then  placed  the  pan  under  her  arm,  and  poured  on 
the  water  from  a  pitcher,  as  hot  as  .she  could  bear  it,  for 
about  fifteen  minutes.  I  then  took  off  the  towel  and  directed 
one  person  to  take  hold  of  the  arm  above  the  elbow  and  an- 
other below,  to  steady  it;  and  then  placed  my  fingers  against 
the  end  of  the  bone  on  the  under  .side,  and  my  thumb  again.st 
that  on  the  upper  side,  and  by  a  gentle  pressure  each  way, 
.set  the  joint  without  pain  or  force  on  the  muscles,  to  the 
astonishment  of  all  present,  who  calculated  that  it  would 
require  the  strength  of  .several  men.  I  then  wrapped  it  up 
with  the  same  towel,  which  had  become  cold.  This  brought 
the  muscles  to  their  proper  tone,  and  kept  the  joint  firm  in 
its  place.  I  put  her  arm  in  a  sling  and  she  walked  home 
that  night  about  a  mile,  and  the  next  day  was  well  enough 
to  knit  all  day. 

In  case  a  shoulder  is  out  of  joint,  I  relax  the  muscles  in 
the  same  manner,  and  put  the  arm  over  my  shoulder  and  lift 
up,  which  has  always  put  the  joint  in  its  place  without  any 
danger  and  with  very  little  pain  to  the  patient;  and  then  by 
applying  cold  water,  the  muscles  will  become  braced,  so  that 
there  will  be  no  danger  of  its  getting  out  again.  I  knew  of 
a  case  where  a  man  had  his  hip  turned  out,  and  several  doc- 
tors had  exhausted  all  their  skill  in  vain  to  .set  it.  One 
of  my  agents  being  present,  undertook  it  by  my  plan  of  treat- 
ment, and  after  he  had  relaxed  the  mu.scles  sufficiently,  put 
his  knee  against  the  hip  joint,  and,  placing  his  hand  on  the 
inside  of  the  knee,  turned  the  leg  out  and  crowded  the  joint 
into  its  place  without  any  difficulty. 

POISON  BY  IVY  OR  DOGWOOD. 

Many  people  are  troubled  with  this  difficulty  every  sea.son, 
and  I  have  been  much  afflicted  with  it  myself  in  my  young- 
er days,  often  being  poisoned  in  such  manner  as  to  .swell  and 


nOTAXfC  lAMll.y  rHYSICIA.W 


111 


break  out  very  badly,  and  I  knew  no  remedy  but  to  let  it  have 
its  course,  which  was  almost  as  bad  as  the  smallpox.  Ojie 
of  my  sons  was  often  afflicted  in  this  way,  and  one  season 
was  poisoned  three  times,  so  as  to  be  blind  for  several  days. 
1  long  sought  a  remedy  without  success,  till  I  found  it  in  the 
Emetic  Herb.  Washing  with  a  tincture  of  the  green  plant, 
as  is  directed  in  the  .second  preparation  of  the  Emetic  Herb,  on 
the  first  appearance  of  the  disease,  is  a  certain  remedy.  If 
the  complaint  has  been  for  any  length  of  time,  and  has  be- 
come bad,  it  will  be  necessary  to  take  a  dose  of  the  powdered 
emetic,  first  preparation,  to  clear  the  system  of  the  poison,  at 
the  same  time  washing  with  the  tincture.  A  tea  made  of 
the  powdered  leaves  and  pods  will  do  to  wash  with  when 
the  tincture  or  green  plant  cannot  be  had.  The  powderetl 
seeds,  with  Nos.  2  and  6,  third  preparation,  may  also  be  used 
for  the  same  purpo,se. 

MEASLES. 

This  disease  is  \ery  conmion,  especially  among  children, 
and  is  often  attended  with  bad  consequences,  when  not  prop- 
erly treated.  It  is  a  high  state  of  canker  and  putrefaction: 
and  if  the  determining  powers  are  kept  to  the  surface,  it  will 
make  its  appearance  on  the  outside,  and  go  off  of  itself;  but 
ifc6ld  overpowers  the  inward  heat,  so  as  to  turn  the  deter- 
mining powers  inward,  the  di.sease  will  not  make  its  appear- 
ance, and  the  patient  will  become  much  distressed,  frequent- 
ly producing  fatal  consequences  if  some  powerful  stimulant 
is  not  administered  to  bring  the  disorder  out.  To  give  physic 
in  cases  of  this  kind  is  very  dangerous,  as  it  strengthens  the 
power  of  cold,  and  keeps  the  canker  and  putrefaction  inside, 
which  sometimes  seats  upon  the  lungs  and  causes  consump- 
tion; or  it  turns  to  the  stomach  and  bowels,  when  they  die  sud- 
denly, as  has  been  the  case  with  hur^dreds  for  a  few  years 
past.  I  have  attended  a  great  many  cases  of  the  mea.sles  in 
the  cour.se  of  my  practice,  and  never  lost  one,  and  never  have 
known  of  any  that  have  died  of  this  disorder  who  were  at- 
tended by  any  of  my  agents.  When  the  symptoms  make 
their  appearance,  give  a  dose  of  the  composition  powder,  or 
of  No.  2 ;  then  give  the  tea  of  No.  3  to  guard  agaitist  canker. 


112  .v/;/r  vrinii  to  hf.ai.th;  or, 

and  add  some  No.  2  to  overpower  the  cold;  and  when  the 
second  dose  is  giveti,  add  No.  i,  to  clear  the  stomach  and 
promote  perspiration.  As  .soon  as  this  takes  place,  the  dis- 
order will  show  itself  on  the  outside.  By  continuing  to  keep 
the  determining  power  to  the  surface,  nature  will  take  its 
regularcour.se,  and  the  disea.se  will  go  off  without  injuring 
the  constitution.  If  the  bowels  appear  to  be  disordered, 
give  an  injection;  and  be  careful  to  keep  the  patient  warm. 

I  once  had  a  case  of  a  young  woman  who  had  the  meas- 
les; she  lingered  with  the  .symptoms  four  or  five  days,  and 
then  became  very  sick,  turned  of  a  dark  purple  color,  and 
had  a  high  fever  when  I  was  called  to  attend  her.  I  gave 
her  a  strong  dose  of  No.  3,  steeped,  and  put  in  it  a  .spoonful 
of  the  third  preparation  of  No.  i ,  which  caused  such  a  vio- 
lent struggle  that  I  had  to  hold  her  in  the  bed;  but  it  was  soon 
over,  for  in  about  ten  minutes  she  vomited,  and  a  perspira- 
tion took  place,  which  was  followed  by  the  measles  coming 
out,  so  that  she  was  completely  covered  with  the  eruption. 
She  was  soon  well  and  about  her  work. 

SMALLPOX. 

This  disease  is  the  highest  state  of  canker  and  putrefac- 
tion which  the  human  body  is  capable  of  receiving,  and  is 
the  most  contagious,  being  taken  in  with  the  breath,  or  it  may 
be  communicated  by  inoculation,  in  which  case  it  is  not  so 
violent  and  dangerous  as  when  taken  in  the  natural  way. 
The  distressing  and  often  fatal  consequences  that  have  hap- 
pened in  cases  of  the  smallpox  are  more  owing  to  the  man- 
ner in  which  it  has  been  treated  than  to  the  disease.  The 
fashionable  mode  of  treatment  in  this  disease  has  been  to 
give  physic  and  reduce  the  strength,  by  starving  the  pa- 
tient and  keeping  them  cold.  This  is  contrary  to  common 
sense,  as  it  weakens  the  friend  and  strengthens  the  enemy; 
and  the  same  cause  would  produce  similar  effects  in  any  oth- 
er disorder.  All  that  is  nece.ssary  is  to  a.ssist  nature  to 
drive  out  the  canker  and  putrefaction,'  which  is  the  cause  of 
the  disease,  by  keeping  the  determining  powers  to  the  sur- 
face, in  which  case  there  will  be  no  danger.  The  same  man- 
ner of  treatment  should  be  used  in  this  complaint  as  has  been 


I  >\f> 


BOTANIC  FAMILY  rHYSIClAX,  m 

directed  for  the  measles.  The  canker-rash,  and  all  kinds  of 
disease  that  a  person  is  not  liable  to  have  hut  once,  such  as 
chickenpox,  swinepox,  etc,  are  from  the  same  cause,  and 
must  lie  treated  in  a  similar  manner. 

COUGH. 

The  general  opinion  is,  that  cough  i.san  enemy  to  health, 
and  ought  to  be  treated  as  such;  but  this  idea  I  hold  to  be 
altogether  an  error;  lor  it  is  the  effect,  and  not  the  cause,  of 
disease.  When  the  lungs  are  di.seased,  there  will  be  a  col- 
lection of  matter,  which  must  be  thrown  off;  and  the  cough 
is  like  the  pump  of  a  ship,  which  discharges  the  water,  and 
prevents  her  from  sinking;  .so  also  the  cough  throws  off  what 
collects  on  the  lungs,  which,  if  suffered  to  remain,  would 
soon  putrefy  and  cause  death.  It  is  a  common  saying,  "  I 
have  a  bad  cough,  and  can  get  nothing  to  .stop  it;"  and  the 
doctor  often  .says,  "If  I  could  stop  your  cough,  I  should  have 
hopes  of  a  cure;"  but  this  is  as  unrea.sonable  as  it  would  be  to 
stop  the  pumps  of  a  ship,  which  would  cause  her  to  sink  the 
sooner.  A.sk  a  sailor  what  he  would  do,  and  he  would  .say, 
"Keep  the  pump  going  till  you  can  .stop  the  leak,  and  when 
that  is  stopped,  the  pump  will  become  useless,  as  there  will 
be  nothing  to  throw  off. ' '  Such  medicine  should  be  given  as 
will  promote  the  cough,  till  the  cau.se  can  be  removed,  which 
is  cold  and  canker  on  the  lungs;  after  this  is  done,  there  will 
be  no  more  cough.  If  a  cough  is  cau.sed  by  a  sudden  cold, 
it  may  be  removed  by  taking  the  composition  powder  on  go- 
ing to  bed,  with  a  hot  stone  wrapped  in  wet  cloths  put  to  the 
feet,  to  produce  a  perspiration,  at  the  same  taking  the 
cough  powder,  which  will  make  the  patient  raise  easy,  and 
also  help  to  remove  the  cause.  When  the  cough  has  be- 
come .seated  and  the  lungs  are  diseased,  they  must  be  car- 
ried through  a  regular  course  of  the  medicine,  repeating  the 
.same  as  occasion  may  require  till  a  cure  is  effected,  at  the 
same  time  giving  the  cough  powder,  especially  on  going  to 
bed. 

Whooping-cough  must  be  treated  in  the  .same  manner; 
continue  to  give  the  cough  powders  till  cured. 


114 


.\i:w  ciiDi:  TO  ffi:.u.rf/;  oa'. 


JAUNDICE. 

Much  has  been  said  alxjiit  the  bile,  or  gall,  being  an  ene- 
my in  case  of  sickness;  but  this  is  a  mistake,  for  it  is  a  friend, 
and  should  be  treated  as  such.  It  is  the  mainspring  ot  life, 
and  the  regulator  of  health,  as  without  it  the  fcxxl  could  not 
be  digested.  When  people  have  what  is  called  the  jaundice, 
it  is  the  prevailing  opinion  that  they  have  too  much  bile, 
and  it  is  said  they  are  bilious.  This  is  a  mistaken  notion,  for 
there  is  no  such  thing  as  having  too  much  gall;  it  would  be 
more  correct  to  say  there  was  not  enough.  The  difficulty  is 
caused  by  the  stomach  l)eing  cold  and  foul,  so  that  the  footl 
is  not  properly  digested;  and  the  bile,  not  being  appropriated 
to  its  natural  use,  is  diffused  through  the  pores  of  the  skin, 
which  becomes  of  a  yellow  color.  The  symptoms  are  want 
of  appetite,  costivencss,  faintness,  and  the  patient  will  be  dull 
and  sleepy;  these  are  evidences  of  bad  digesture  and  loss  of 
inward  heat.  The  only  way  to  effect  a  cure  is  to  promote 
perspiration,  clean.se  the  stomach,  and  restore  the  digestive 
powers,  which  will  cau.se  the  bile  to  be  used  for  the  purpose 
nature  designed  it. 

Nature  has  contrived  that  each  part  of  the  body  should 
perform  its  proper  duty  in  maintaining  health,  and  if  there 
were  no  obstruction,  there  never  would  be  disease.  The  gall 
bladder  grows  on  the  liver,  and  is  placed  between  that  and 
the  stomach,  so  that  when  the  latter  is  filled  with  food,  the 
bile  is  discharged  into  the  stomach  to  digest  it.  The  bile 
never  makes  disorder,  for  it  is  perfectly  innocent,  being  na- 
ture's friend:  and  those  appearances  called  bilious  show  the 
effect  of  disease,  and  not  the  cause.  The  gall  is  a  very  bit- 
ter substance,  and  it  is  the  practice  of  the  doctors  to  order 
bitter  medicine  to  cure  the  jaundice,  and  this  seems  to  be  the 
universal  opinion,  which  is  correct;  but  it  certainly  contra- 
dicts the  notion  that  there  is  too  much  bile,  for  if  there  be  too 
much,  why  give  medicine  to  make  more?  I  have  attended 
many  cases  of  this  kind,  and  never  had  any  difficulty  in  ef- 
fecting a  cure.  My  method  is  to  give  No.  2,  or  the  compo- 
sition powders,  to  raise  the  internal  heat,  and  No.  i  to  cleanse 
the  stomach  and  promote  perspiration;  then  give  the  bitters, 


1 


in  >  r.  \sn  •  lAMii. )  /•// )  siciAw  lii 

No.  4.  to  regulate  tlie  J)ilc'  and  rt'stort-  the  dijfvstivf  powcn». 
If  the  complaint  lias  l)ecn  of  lonjj  standinK,  an  '  fht-  system 
is  inudi  disorderecj,  they  nmst  ht-  carried  thronKli  a  i<K»ilar 
course  of  the  nu'diciue,  and  repeat  it  as  occasion  may  re(niire; 
at  the  same  time  jjive  the  hitters  two  or  three  times  a  day, 
till  the  appetite  is  ^ood  and  the  di)festure  restored.  Any  of 
the  articles  described  under  the  head  of  No.  4  are  k<>o<1,  and 
may  he  freely  used  for  all  bilious  complaints. 

WORMS. 

A  great  deal  is  said  about  worms  causing  sickness,  and 
there  is  scarcely  a  di.sease  that  children  are  afflicted  with  but 
what  is  attributed  to  worms.  The  dwtors  talk  about  worm 
complaints,  worm  fevers,  worm  colics,  etc.,  and  give  medi- 
cine to  destroy  the  worms;  by  so  doing,  they  frequently  de- 
stroy their  patients.  There  was  never  a  greater  absurdity 
than  their  practice,  and  the  universal  opinion  about  worms 
causing  disease.  The  fact  is,  they  are  created  and  exist  in 
the  stomach  and  bowels  for  a  u.seful  purpose,  and  are  friendly 
to  health,  instead  of  being  an  enemy;  they  are  bred  and  sup- 
ported by  the  cold  phlegm  that  collects  in  the  stomach  and 
bowels;  this  is  their  element;  and  the  more  there  is  of  it.  the 
more  there  will  be  of  the  worms;  they  never  cause  disease, 
but  are  caused  by  it.  Those  who  are  in  health  are  never 
troubled  with  worms,  because  they  are  then  quiet,  and  exist 
in  their  natural  element.  Every  one  has  more  or  less  of  them, 
and  the  reason  why  children  are  more  troubled  with  what  is 
called  worm  complaints,  is  liecause  they  are  more  subject  to 
be  disordered  in  their  stomach  and  bowels  than  grown  per- 
sons. When  children  are  sick,  and  their  breath  smells  bad, 
it  is  said  they  have  worms,  and  everything  is  laid  to  them; 
but  this  is  owing  to  disease  caused  by  canker,  for  there  is 
nothing  in  the  nature  of  worms  that  can  affect  the  breath.  In 
cases  of  this  kind,  the  only  thing  necessary  is  to  cleanse  the 
stomach  by  getting  rid  of  the  cold  phlegm  and  restoring  the 
digestive  powers,  when  there  will  be  no  difficulty  with  the 
worms. 

The  common  practice  of  the  doctors  is  to  give  calomel 
and  other  poisons  to  kill  the  worms.  This  nmst  appear  to  any 


ilC 


:ii 


i 


■^^^' 


11(1  NEW  GUIDE  TO  HEALTH;  OR, 

one  who  examines  into  the  subject  to  be  ver>'  wrong  as  well 
as  dangerous;  foi  the  worms  cannot  be  kiUed  by  it  without 
poisoning  the  whole  contents  of  the  stomach.  I  once  knew 
of  a  case  of  a  child  who,  after  eating  a  breakfast  of  bread  and 
milk,  was  taken  sick;  a  doctor  was  sent  for,  who  said  it  was. 
caused  by  worms,  and  gave  a  dose  of  calomel  to  destroy 
them,  which  caused  fits.  The  child  "omited  and  threw  up 
its  breakfast,  and  a  dog  that  hapj/ened  to  be  in  the  room 
ate  what  the  child  threw  up;  he  was  soon  taken  sick 
and  died;  the  child  got  well.  The  fortunate  accident  of  the 
child's  throwing  off  its  stomach  what  it  had  taken  probably 
saved  its  life,  for  if  there  was  poison  enough  to  kill  a  dog,  it 
must  have  killed  the  child.  The  absurdity  of  such  practice 
is  like  the  story  related  by  Dr.  Franklin  of  a  man  who  was 
troubled  with  a  weasel  in  his  barn,  and  to  get  rid  of  the 
weasel  he  set  fire  to  his  barn  and  burnt  it  up.  I  had  the 
following  relation  from  the  doctor  who  attended  the  cases: 
Three  children  had  what  he  called  a  worm  fever,  and  he  un- 
dertook to  kill  the  worms.  One  of  them  died,  and  he  re- 
quested liberty  to  open  it  and  see  what  would  destroy  worms, 
in  order  to  know  how  to  cure  the  others;  but  the  parents 
would  not  consent.  The  second  died,  and  the  parents  con- 
sented to  have  it  opened;  but  after  searching  the  stomach  and 
bowels,  to  their  surprise  no  worms  could  be  found.  The 
third  soon  after  died.  The  fact  was,  their  death  was  caused 
by  canker  ^n  the  stomach  and  bowels,  and  the  medicine 
given  increased  the  difficulty  by  drawing  the  determining 
powers  inward,  which  aided  the  cold  to  promote  the  canker. 
Where  children  die  by  such  treatment,  the  blame  is  all  laid 
on  the  worms,  and  the  doctor  escapes  censure. 

I  have  had  a  great  deal  of  experience  in  what  are  called 
worm  complaints;  and  after  having  become  acquainted  with 
the  real  cause  have  had  no  difficulty  in  curing  all  that  I  have 
undertaken.  I  began  with  my  own  children.  One  of  them 
was  troubled  with  what  was  supposed  to  be  worms.  I  em- 
ployed a  doctor,  who  gave  pink  root,  and  then  physic  to  car- 
ry it  off  with  the  worms.  It  would  shortly  after  have  an- 
other turn,  which  would  be  worse.  He  went  on  in  this  way, 
and  the  worms  kept  increasing,  till  I  became  .satisfied  that  he 


BOTANIC  FAMILY  PHYSICIAX. 


117 


was  working  on  the  effect,  and  neglected  the  cause,  when  I 
dismissed  him  and  undertook  the  cure  myself.  I  first 
gave  the  warmest  medicine  I  then  knew  of  to  clear  off  the 
cold  phlegm,  and  gave  bitter  medicine,  such  as  poplar  bark, 
wormwood,  tansy,  and  physic  made  of  the  twigs  of  butter- 
nut, to  cleanse  the  stomach  and  to  correct  the  bile.  Bj-  pur- 
.suing  this  plan  the  child  soon  got  well  and  was  no  more 
troubled  with  worms.  A  child  in  the  neighborhood  where  I 
lived,  about  six  years  old,  was  taken  sick  in  the  morning, 
and  the  doctor  was  sent  for,  who  gave  medicine  for  worms. 
Soon  after,  it  had  fits,  and  continued  in  convulsions  during 
the  day,  and  at  night  died.  I  was  satisfied  that  its  death 
was  hastened,  if  not  caused,  by  what  was  given.  When  the 
stomach  is  diseased,  or  when  poison  is  taken  into  it,  the 
worms  trj'  to  flee  from  their  dange*-,  which  causes  distress, 
and  they  sometimes  get  into  knots  and  stop  the  passages  to 
the  .stomach.  Much  more  might  be  said  on  this  subject:  but 
enough  has  been  stated  to  put  those  who  attend  to  it  on  their 
guard  against  the  dangerous  practice  of  giving  medicine  to 
kill  worms. 

My  practice  has  been  what  I  shall  recommend  to  others 
to  do  in  case  of  what  is  called  worm  complaints:  to  give  the 
composition  powders,  or  No.  2,  to  warm  the  stomach:  a 
tea  of  No.  3,  to  remove  the  canker;  and  the  bitters  or  either 
of  the  articles  described  u?ider  No.  4,  to  correct  the  bile. 
If  they  are  bad,  carry  them  through  a  course  of  the  medicine, 
and  give  the  bitters.  When  there  are  nervous  symptoms 
give  the  nerve  powder.  Injections  should  also  be  frequently 
given.  The  butternut  .syrup  is  verj'  good.  If  there  is  dan- 
ger of  mortification,  make  use  of  No.  6,  both  in  the  medicine 
given  and  in  the  injections. 

The  tape-worm  is  from  the  same  cause  as  other  worms, 
and  may  be  cured  in  the  same  manner.  The)-  are,  when 
single,  about  half  an  inch  long,  and  one  third  as  wide:  they 
join  together  and  appear  like  tape,  and  often  come  away  in 
long  pieces  of  several  yards.  I  was  once  troubled  with 
them,  and  used  to  be  faint,  and  have  no  appetite.  I  cured 
my.self  by  taking  the  butternut  physic,  which  brought  away 


1 


118  A'A/r  GUIDE  TO  HEALTH;  OR, 

several  yards  a*  a  time;  and  by  taking  the  bitter  medicine, 
to  correct  the  bile,  was  never  troubled  with  it  again. 

I  have  often  heard  about  people  having  a  greedy  worm ; 
but  this  is  a  mistaken  notion,  for  there  was  never  any  such 
thing.  The  difficulty  is  that  the  stomach  is  cold  and  disor- 
dered, so  that  the  food  is  not  properly  digested,  and  passes  off 
-without  nourishing  the  system,  and  this  creates  an  unnatural 
appetite.  Remove  the  cause  by  warming  the  stomach  and 
correcting  the  digestive  powers,  and  there  will  be  no  further 
difficulty.  In  the  year  1805,  I  was  called  to  see  a  young 
woman  who,  it  was  supposed,  had  a  greedy-worm.  It  was 
thought  to  be  very  large,  and  would  frequently  get  into  her 
throat  and  choke  her,  almost  stopping  her  breath.  Her 
mother  told  me  that  the  day  before,  one  of  the  neighbors 
was  in,  and  told  a  story  about  a  person  having  a  monster  in 
her  stomach,  which  was  taken  in  by  drinking  at  a  brook. 
This  terrible  account  .so  frightened  her  daughter,  that  the 
worm  rose  into  her  throat,  and  rhoked  her  so  bad  that  she 
had  fits.  I  took  the  girl  home  with  me,  and  gave  her  a 
dose  of  hot  bitters,  with  .some  of  the  nerve  powder  that  night. 
The  next  morning  I  carried  her  through  a  course  of  the  med- 
icine, as  well  as  I  knew  at  that  time,  which  cleared  the 
stomach  and  bowels,  and  strengthened  the  nervous  system. 
I  told  her  there  was  no  worm  that  troubled  her,  and  she  had 
faith  in  what  I  said.  I  gave  her  medicine  to  correct  the  bile 
and  restore  the  digesture,  and  she  soon  got  well,  being  no 
more  troubled  about  the  worm.  The  difficulty  was  caused  by 
a  disordered  stomach,  and  want  of  digesture,  which  produced 
spasms  in  the  stomach  and  throat. 

CONSUMPTION. 

This  complaint  is  generally  caused  by  some  acute  disor- 
der not  being  removed,  and  the  patient  being  run  down  by 
the  fashionable  practice,  until  nature  makes  a  compromise 
with  disease,  and  the  house  becomes  divided  against  itself. 
There  is  a  constant  warfare  kept  uji  between  the  inward  heat 
and  cold;  the  flesh  wastes  awav  in  consequence  of  not  digest- 
ing the  food;  the  canker  become  seated  on  the  stomach  and 
bowels,  and  then  takes  hold  of  the  lungs.     When  they  get 


^«*'*K«£'«1S^S«SP' 


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and 
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was 
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Her 
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lok. 
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nor  A  NIC  FA. Mil.  Y  PHYSICIAN. 


119 


into  this  situation,  it  is  called  a  seated  consumption,  and  is 
pronounced  by  the  doctors  to  be  incurable.  I  have  had  a 
great  many  cases  of  this  kind,  and  have  in  all  of  them,  where 
was  life  enough  left  to  build  upon,  been  able  to  effect  a 
cure  by  my  system  of  practice.  The  most  important  thing 
is  to  raise  the  inward  heat  and  get  a  perspiration,  clear  the 
system  of  canker,  and  restore  the  digestive  powers,  so  that 
food  will  nourish  the  body  and  keep  up  the  heaf  on  which 
life  depends.  This  must  be  done  bj'  the  regular  course  of 
medicine,  as  has  been  directed  in  all  violent  attacks  of  dis- 
ease, and  persevering  in  it  till  the  cause  is  removetl. 

This  complaint  is  called  by  the  doctors  a  hectic  fever, 
because  they  are  subject  to  cold  chills,  and  hot  flashes  on 
the  surface;  but  this  is  an  error,  for  there  is  no  fever  about 
it;  and  this  is  the  greatest  difficulty,  for  if  there  were  a  fever, 
it  would  have  a  crisis,  and  nature  would  be  able  to  drive  out 
the  cold  and  effect  a  cure.  The  only  difficulty  is  to  raise  a 
fever,  which  must  be  done  by  such  medicine  as  will  raise 
and  hold  the  inward  heat  till  nature  has  the  complete  com- 
mand. When  patients  are  very  weak  and  low,  they  will 
have  what  is  called  cold  sweats.  The  cau.se  of  this  is  not 
understood;  the  water  that  collects  on  the  skin  does  not 
come  through  the  pores,  but  is  attracted  from  the  air  in  the 
room,  which  is  warmer  than  the  body,  and  condenses  on 
the  surface;  the  same  may  be  .seen  on  the  outside  of  a  mug 
or  tumbler  on  a  hot  day,  when  filled  with  cold  water,  which 
is  from  the  same  cause.  It  is  of  more  importance  to  attend 
to  the  preventing  of  this  complaint,  than  to  cure  it.  If  peo- 
ple would  make  use  of  those  means  which  I  have  recom- 
mended, and  cure  themselves  of  disease  in  its  first  stages, 
and  avoid  all  poisonous  drugs,  there  would  never  be  a  case 
of  consumption,  or  any  other  chronic  disorder. 

FITS. 

These  are  produced  by  the  same  cause  as  other  com- 
plaints, that  is,  cold  and  obstructions;  and  may  be  cured  by 
a  regular  course  of  the  medicine,  which  overpowers  the  cold, 
promotes  perspiration,  and  restores  the  digestive  powers. 
Poison,  or  anything  else  which  gives  the  cold  power  over 


>H^ 


l-.'o  NEW  UUIDE  TO  HEALTH;  OR, 

the  inward  heat,  will  cause  fits,  because  the  natural  tone  of 
the  muscular  power  is  thereby  destroyed,  which  produces 
violent  spasms  of  the  whole  system.  So  much  has  already 
been  said  on  this  subject,  that  it  is  unnecessary  to  saj-  more 
to  give  a  correct  idea  of  the  manner  of  cure. 


ST.  ANTHONY'S  FIRE,  NETTLE  SPRING,  OR  SURFEIT. 

These  are  all  caused  by  overheating  the  system  and  cool- 
ing too  suddenly,  which  leaves  the  pores  obstructed,  and 
then,  by  taking  more  cold,  will  bring  on  the  warfare  between 
cold  and  heat,  when  they  break  out  and  itch  and  smart,  as 
if  stung  by  an  insect.  When  the  heat  gets  a  little  the  upper 
hand,  so  as  to  produce  perspiration,  it  will  disappear  till 
they  get  another  cold.  The  only  way  to  effect  a  cure  is  to 
give  the  hot  medicine  and  steam  till  they  are  brought  to  the 
same  state  of  heat  as  that  which  first  caused  the  disease,  and 
then  cool  by  degrees.  This  I  have  proved  in  several  in- 
stances, and  never  had  any  difficulty  in  entirely  removing 
the  cause  in  this  way.  Make  use  of  a  tea  of  No.  3,  for 
canker,  and  the  bitters  to  correct  the  bile,  and  a  little  ner\'e 
powder  to  quiet  the  nerves,  and  they  will  soon  be  restored 
to  perfect  health. 

STRANGURY,  OR  GRAVEL. 

This  disorder  is  often  caused  by  hard  labor,  and  expos- 
ure to  cold,  in  the  early  part  of  life;  and  when  they  gfrow 
old  their  heat  diminishes,  the  bile  becomes  thick,  and  a  sedi- 
ment collects  in  the  bladder,  which  obstructs  the  passages. 
The  glands  through  which  the  urine  passes  are  clogged  and 
become  diseased,  so  that  there  is  a  difficulty  in  voiding  the 
water,  which  causes  great  pain.  It  is  seldom  that  there  is  a 
cure  in  such  cases;  but  relief  may  be  obtained  by  a  course 
of  the  medicine,  and  making  free  use  of  the  poplar- bark 
tea.  A  tea  of  the  hemlock  boughs  is  ver^'  good;  and  also  I 
have  known  great  relief  from  using  the  wild  lettuce  and 
pipsisway,  the  tops  and  roots  bruised  and  steeped  in  hot 
water.  Many  other  articles  that  are  good  to  promote  the 
urine  may  be  used  to  advantage. 


mrr.ixfc  F.iAf/Ly  /wvs/c/.lv.  iji 

DROPSY. 

There  are  two  kinds  of  this  complaint.  One  is  caused  by 
losing  the  inward  heat,  .so  as  to  stop  the  natural  perspiration, 
which  causes  the  water  that  is  usually  thrown  off  in  this 
way  to  collect  in  the  body  and  limbs.  This  may  be  cured 
by  raising  the  internal  heat  and  causing  a  profuse  perspira- 
tion, when  the  water  will  pa.ss  off  in  a  natural  way;  then 
make  use  of  such  medicine  as  will  remove  canker  and  restore 
the  dige.stive  powers,  when  the  food,  being  digested,  will  keep 
up  the  natural  heat  of  the  body  and  continue  the  perspira- 
tion. The  other  kind  is  caused  b.\-  cold  and  obstruction: 
but  instead  of  the  water  collecting  and  remaining  in  the  bodj- 
and  limbs,  a  leak  forms  in  the  glands  and  lets  it  into  the 
trunk  of  the  body,  where  there  is  no  vent  to  let  it  off.  This 
cannot  be  cured  without  tapping,  and  is  very  seldom  com- 
pletely cured.  I  have  never  knowti  but  two  who  were  in 
this  .situation  to  be  perfectly  re.stored.  One  was  a  girl  whom 
I  attended.  I  tapped  her  and  took  away  seventeen  pounds 
of  water;  then  swathed  her  up  close,  and  gave  medicine  to 
keep  up  a  perspiration.  She  did  not  fill  again,  and  was  com- 
pletely cured.  The  other  was  a  man  who  had  been  tapped 
twice.  I  carried  him  through  the  course  of  medicine  several 
times,  and  gave  the  juniper  ashes,  with  molasses  and  gin, 
which  carried  off  large  quantities  of  water,  and  he  entirely 
recovered  from  the  disorder.  I  have  cured  a  number  who 
had  the  first-mentioned  complaint,  by  the  common  course  of 
medicine;  one  woman  was  cured  by  taking  the  wild  lettuce, 
bruised  and  steeped  in  hot  water.  Mention  has  been  made 
of  several  cases  of  this  disease  in  my  narrative,  which  wene 
cured;  and  enough  has  been  said  to  give  an  idea  of  the  cause 
and  manner  of  treatment. 

BILIOUS  COLIC. 

The  name  of  this  complaint  is  erroneous,  for  bilious  means 
the  bile,  and  no  one  ever  heard  of  a  bile  colic,  or  pain  caused 
by  gall,  as  it  is  a  friend  to  health,  and  never  caused  disease 
or  death.  This  pain  is  caused  by  a  disordered  stomach  and 
wantofdigcsture;  the  stomach  is  filled  with  canker,  which 
gets  into  the  narrow  passage  from  the  stomach,  when  the  ac- 


Vi-I  XEll-  GUIDE  TO  HEALTH;  OK, 

tioii  of  the  bowels  ceases;  after  the  pain  subsides  those  parts 
where  it  was  are  very  sore.  To  cure  it,  raise  the  inward 
heat  by  giving  the  hoi  medicine,  remove  the  canker  with  No. 
3,  and  give  the  bitters  to  correct  the  bile,  and  repeat  it  till 
a  cure  is  effected.  If  the  case  is  bad,  carry  them  through  a 
course  of  the  medicine,  and  often  give  injections. 

PLEURISY. 

This  is  a  distressing  complaint,  and  is  cau.sed  by  cold,  or 
want  of  inward  heat.  I  never  had  any  difficulty  in  curing  it 
by  my  common  practice.  The  only  remedy  made  use  of  by 
the  doctors  is  to  bleed,  which  only  increases  the  disease  by  re- 
ducing the  strength  of  the  patient,  without  removing  the 
cause.  I  was  once  called  to  a  soldier  at  Kastport,  who  had  a 
violent  pain  in  his  side.  The  doctor  that  attended  him  had 
bled  him  five  times  without  removing  the  pain,  which  made 
him  so  weak  that  it  was  with  difficulty  he  could  be  held  up 
in  the  bed.  I  relieved  him  in  one  hour  by  a  common  course 
of  medicine,  and  bathing  his  side  with  the  rheumatic  drops. 
It  took  three  weeks  to  get  up  his  strength,  which  might 
have  been  done  in  three  days,  if  he  had  not  been  bled.  I  was 
called  to  another  case  of  the  kind,  of  a  soldier  at  the  same 
place.  He  had  been  bled,  and  a  large  blister  put  on  his  side 
to  remove  the  pain,  which  caused  a  strangury,  and  he  was 
in  great  distress.  I  declined  doing  anything  for  him  with- 
out the  consent  of  the  commanding  officer,  who  was  not 
present.  The  soldier  begged  of  me  to  tell  him  what  to  Jo 
for  the  latter  complaint,  as  he  could  not  live  so.  I  told  him 
to  take  off  the  blister,  which  was  immediately  done,  and  it 
gave  instant  relief.  By  carrying  them  through  a  course  of 
medicine,  as  has  been  directed  for  other  violent  attacks,  it 
will  cure  all  cases  of  this  complaint  without  danger;  and  it  is 
much  better  than  bleeding  or  blisters,  which  only  increase 
the  difficulty. 

RELAX. 

This  complaint  is  caused  by  indigestion,  or  loss  of  the 
powers  of  the  gall,  which  becomes  thick,  in  consequence  of 
cold,  or  loss  of  inward  heat,  when  the  stomach  will  be  sour. 
The  best  remedy  is  to  give  No.  2,  which  will  thin  the  gall; 


st-_ 


«'X'''-rr'-?'^'!r»,!*?^«^?«s*^5^'s?s?swij;^^tssii©i'a^ii*i; 


BOTANIC  FAMILY  PHYSICIAN.  123 

cleanse  the  stomach  with  No.  i ,  and  give  the  bitters  to  cor- 
rect the  digesture.  A  dose  of  the  composition  powders,  with 
a  teaspoonful  of  No.  6  in  it,  will  in  most  cases  effect  a  cure. 
The  bayberry  and  poplar  bark  are  good,  and  also  many  other 
articles  that  have  been  described  are  good  to  restore  the  di- 
gestive powers. 

DYSENTERY. 

This  is  a  distressing  complaint,  and  is  very  common,  es- 
pecially among  children.  Although  much  has  already  been 
said  on  this  subject,  yet  its  importance  will  justify  some 
further  directions.  It  is  cau.sed  by  cold,  which  gets  the  as- 
cendency over  the  inward  heat,  so  as  to  draw  all  the  deter- 
mining powers  inward;  the  stomach  is  disordered, the  digestive 
powers  are  last,  the  bowels  become  coated  with  canker,  the 
food  is  not  digested  so  as  to  afford  any  nourishment  or  heat 
to  the  system,  and  all  the  juices  flow  inward,  and  pass  off  by 
the  common  pa.ssage.  The  canker  makes  the  bowels  very 
.sore,  and  when  anything f>asses  them,  it  causes  excruciating 
pain.  The  best  plan  of  treatment  is  to  carry  the  patient 
through  a  regular  course  of  medicine,  and  repeat  it,  if  occasion 
should  require,  every  day  till  relief  is  obtained.  During  the 
operation,  give  the  chicken  broth,  and  after  the  disease  is 
checked,  give  occasionally  a  little  brandy  and  loaf  sugar 
burned  together,  and  a  strong  tea  of  poplar  bark.  Give  the 
syrup.  No.  5,  two  or  three  times  a  day,  until  entirely  recov- 
ered; and  the  bitters,  No.  4,  may  be  given  night  and  morn- 
ing, to  restore  the  digesture.  Care  must  be  taken  to  keep 
up  the  inward  heat  in  the  interim,  by  giving  occasionally 
No.  2  in  a  tea  of  No.  3,  sweetened.  Steaming  is  very  im- 
portant in  this  complaint,  and  injections  must  often  be  ad- 
ministered. 

RHEUMATISM. 

This  complaint  is  caased  by  cold  obstructing  the  natural 
circulation,  which  causes  pain  and  swelling.  It  often  affects 
the  joints,  so  that  they  grow  out  of  shape.  A  cure  is  easily 
eflFected,  if  timely  and  properly  attended  to,  which  must  be 
done  by  such  medicine  as  will  cause  perspiration  and  re- 
move obstructions.     In   common   cases,   taking  the  rheu- 


'^^IH^ 


II 


iH 


m 


124  X/Cir  GUI  HE  TO  HEALTH;  Oh\ 

matic  drops,  and  bathing  the  part  affected  witli  the  same, 
will  remove  the  complaint.  When  the  case  is  bad,  carry 
them  through  a  course  of  the  medicine,  and  bathe  with  the 
drops,  repeating  it  as  occasion  may  require  till  cured.  At 
the  same  time,  give  a  tea  of  poplar  bark  or  hemlock  boughs; 
and  nmny  other  articles  which  have  been  described  as  good 
for  this  complaint  may  also  be  made  use  of  to  advantage. 

The  gout  is  from  the  same  cause,  and  the  .stomach  being 
greatly  disordered  and  very  sour,  which  produces  a  burning 
sen.sation.  I  have  cured  several  cases  by  the  common  cour.se 
of  medicine,  and  giving  the  bitters  to  restore  the  digestive 
powers. 

SORE  LIPS. 

They  are  common  in  very  hot  or  cold  weather,  when  there 
is  nearly  a  balance  of  the  power  of  outward  and  inward  heat, 
or  outward  and  inward  cold,  which  produces  canker.  To 
cure  it,  take  a  strong  dose  of  a  tea  of  No.  3,  with  a  teaspoon- 
ful  of  No.  2  in  it,  when  going  to'bed,  and  wash  them  with 
the  same;  then  wipe  them  dry  to  take  otF  the  matter  collected ; 
then  wet  them  again  with  the  tea,  and  put  on  as  much  ginger 
as  will  stick;  repeat  the  same  again  fo-  two  or  three  times, 
till  the  coat  is  sufficient  to  keep  out  the  air.  When  this  comes 
off,  repeat  the  same  process  again,  until  the  soreness  is  gone; 
then  wash  again  with  the  tea,  and  wipe  them  drj',  and  ap- 
ply warm  tallow  till  a  cure  is  completed. 

SORE  EYES. 

This  is  generally  caused  by  being  expcsed  to  sudden 
changes  of  heat  and  cold,  which  produces  canker;  and  where 
this  is,  ttere  will  be  inflammation.  There  are  many  things 
good  for  this  complaint;  but  the  best  that  I  have  found  is 
white  pond  lily  root,  marsh  rosemary,  witch  hazel  and  red 
raspberry  leaves.  Make  a  strong  tea  with  all  or  either,  and 
add  one-third  as  much  of  No.  6,  with  a  little  of  No.  2;  bathe 
the  eyes  several  times  in  a  day;  every  morning  put  your  face 
in  cold  water,  open  and  shut  the  eyes  till  well  washed;  repeat 
this  till  a  cure  is  effected.  At  the  same  time  take  the  tea  to 
clear  the  system  of  canker. 


nOr.lXfC  FAMILY  PHYSICIAN. 


•125 


HEADACHE. 

This  pain  proceeds  from  a  foul  stomach;  the  bile  loses  its 
powers,  the  food  clogs  by  not  being  digested,  and  the  effect 
is  felt  in  the  head,  which  is  the  fountain  of  sense.  Some.- 
times  there  is  sickness  at  the  stomach;  when  this  happens,  it 
is  called  sick  headache,  and  when  they  vomit  the  head  is 
relieved.  This  proves  that  the  cause  is  in  the  stomach.  It 
must  be  cured  by  cleansing  the  stomach  and  restoring  the 
dige.stive  powers.  A  dose  of  composition  powders,  sitting 
by  the  fire  wrapped  in  a  blanket,  will  generally  give  relief; 
but  if  it  should  not,  take  a  dose  of  No.  i,  in  a  tea  of  No.  3, 
and  take  the  bitters  to  correct  the  bile;  No.  2  should  also  be 
taken  to  warm  the  stomach,  and  if  it  is  sour,  take  the  pearl- 
ash  water.  It  is  very  fashionable  with  the  doctors  to  tell 
about  dropsy  in  the  head,  but  in  this  I  have  no  belief;  for 
there  is  no  disease  in  the  head  but  what  proceeds  from  the 
stomach,  except  from  external  injury.  If  they  understood 
the  real  cause,  and  would  give  the  proper  medicine  to  remove 
it,  there  would  be  no  difficulty  in  the  head;  but  when  a  child 
is  .sick,  they  give  calomel  and  other  poisons,  which  increa.ses 
the  disease;  and  if  they  die,  it  is  laid  to  the  dropsy  in  the 
head,  and  this  is  satisfactory,  because  the  doctor  .says  so. 

CORNS. 

These  come  on  the  joints  of  the  toes,  and  are  very  troub- 
lesome. They  may  be  cured  by  soaking  the  foot  in  warm 
water  till  the  corn  is  soft,  when  shave  it  thin;  take  a  strip  of 
bladder  or  skin  of  suet,  eight  or  ten  inches  long,  and  half  an 
inch  wide,  and  nib  it  till  soft;  then  supple  it  well  in  rattle- 
snake's oil,  or  the  nerve  ointment;  wrap  it  round  the  toe, 
and  keep  it  on  till  worn  out.  If  this  does  not  cure,  repeat 
the  same  till  the  corn  is  removed.    I  have  seldom  known  this 

to  fail  of  a  cure. 

VENEREAL. 

The  disease  that  is  called  by  this  name  is  more  com- 
mon in  seaports  than  in  the  country,  because  there  is  a  more 
promiscuous  and  illicit  intercourse  of  the  sexes  than  in  other 
places.  It  is  a  ver>'  high  state  of  canker  and  putrefaction, 
which  takes  hold  of  the  glands  of  those  parts  that  are  first 


VM 


x/-:ir  aiini-  to  hiialth:  oh\ 


affected  with  it;  and  if  not  checked,  the  whole  system  will 
Ijecouie  diseased  by  the  venereal  taint.  It  is  more  conimou 
among  .seafaring  men,  becau.se  of  their  being  long  absent  at 
sea,  and  on  coming  on  shore  they  give  free  scope  to  their 
pas.sions,  without  being  very  .scrupulous  about  the  manner  of 
their  indulgence.  It  originates,  probably,  with  those  com- 
mon women,  who  have  connection  with  many  different  men, 
and  going  beyond  the  impulse  of  nature;  this  impure  con- 
nection causes  uncleamiess,  which  produces  the  disease,  and 
when  seated,  is  contagious. 

The  reason  why  this  disease  caases  so  much  fright  and 
alarm  is  owing  to  two  caases;  the  first  is  the  disgrace  that  is 
attached  to  the  di.shonesty  in  getting  it;  and  the  other  is  the 
manner  in  which  it  has  generally   been  treated;  in  giving 
mercury  to  cure  it,  the  remedy  becomes  worse  than  the  dis- 
ea.se.     That  this  disorder  cannot  be  cured  by   any  other 
means  is  altogether  an  error;  for  I  have  cured  a  number  of 
cases  by  very  simple  means.     The  first  symptoms  felt  are  a 
scalding  sensation  and  pain  when  voiding  the  urine;  and 
within  twenty-four  hours  after  this  is  experienced  it  may  be 
cured  in  that  time,  by  applying  cold   water  and  making  use 
of  the  rheumatic  drops;  if  there  is  much  soreness,  make  use 
of  the  tea  of  No.  3,  with  the  drops  in  it,  which  must  be  taken 
as  well  as  applied  to  the  parts.     If  the  disease  has  been  of 
long  standing,   and  the  whole  system   has  become  affected, 
they   must  be  carried  through  a  course  of  the  medicine. 
Where  there  has  been  mercury  made  use  of,  and  there  is  all 
the  attendant  consequences  of  such  treatment,  it  is  much 
more  difficult  to  effect  a  cure,   and  is  only  done  by  a  full 
course  of  the  medicine,    and  repeating  it  for  a  number  of 
times;  raising  the  heat  by   steam  each  time  as  high  as  they 
can  bear,  to  throw  out  the  mercury  and  remove  the  canker, 
at  the  same  time  applying  the  poultice;  then  give  the  bitters 
to  correct  the  bile. 

I  had  a  case  of  a  woman,  who  was  brought  to  me  on  a  bed, 
fifteen  miles.  She  was  in  a  very  putrid  state,  and  as  bad  as 
she  could  well  be,  with  all  the  consequences  that  are  caused 
by  being  filled  with  mercurj-.  Different  doctors  had  attended 
her  for  eleven  months,  and  she  had  constantly  been  growing 


1 


HOr.imC  FAMILY  PHYSILIAX. 


I -.'7 


worse.  She  liad  been  kept  ignorant  of  her  disease  till  a  few- 
days  before  brought  to  nie,  on  account  of  her  husband.  I 
carried  her  through  five  courses  of  the  medicine  in  twoweeics, 
and  applied  a  poultice  of  white  bread  and  ginger,  made  witii 
a  tea  of  No.  3.  This  completely  broke  up  the  disorder,  and 
by  giving  medicine  to  correct  the  bile  and  restore  the  di- 
gesture,  she  was  cured,  and  returned  home  in  three  weeks 
after  coming  tome.  By  taking  things  t<>  restore  her  .strength, 
she  has  enjoyed  good  health  ever  .since.  Another  woman  was 
cured  in  the  same  manner,  who  had  been  in  this  way  for  six 
years,  and  unable  to  do  any  business.  I  attended  her  three 
weeks,  when  she  was  restored  to  health,  and  returned  home. 
In  less  than  a  year  after,  she  had  two  children  at  a  birth, 
and  has  enjoyed  good  health  to  this  day. 

This  disease  may  be  produced  by  other  means  than  what 
have  been  described.  It  may  be  taken  in  with  the  breath  by 
being  much  exposed  in  attending  on  those  who  are  in  a  very 
putrid  stage  of  the  complaint;  or  may  be  comnmnicated  to 
parts  where  the  skin  is  broken,  and  in  many  other,  ways, 
when  they  will  have  many  of  the  symptoms  the  .same  as 
when  taken  in  the  common  way.  Children  will  sometimes 
be  affected  with  the  venereal  taint  whose  parents  had  the 
disease.  A  disease  similar  in  appearance,  with  much  the 
same  symptoms,  may  be  brought  on  by  overdoing  and  being 
exposed  to  the  cold.  I  once  had  the  case  of  a  young  mar- 
ried man,  who,  by  straining  himself  from  loading  mill  logs 
and  being  exposed  to  wet  and  cold,  caused  a  weakness  in  the 
back  and  loins,  and  he  had  what  is  called  a  gleet,  and  an  in- 
flammation, with  all  the  symptoms  common  in  the  venereal. 
His  wife  became  affected  in  the  same  manner,  and  they  con- 
tinued in  this  situation  three  months,  when  I  was  called  to 
attend  them ;  and  by  making  use  of  such  things  as  I  then  had 
a  knowledge  of  to  strengthen  the  loins  and  remove  the 
canker,  I  was  able  to  cure  both  in  a  short  time.  The  man  had 
all  the  symptoms  that  appear  in  the  venereal  except  hard 
bunches  in  the  groins,  called  buboes  These  I  am  satisfied 
are  caused  by  mercury,  for  I  never  knew  any  to  have  them 
except  they  had  taken  mercury.  By  syringing  with  mercury 
and  sugar  of  lead,  it  dries  the  glands  and  contracts  the  pass- 


' '':^vlt^-:l^^U^  * 


Ifl' 


fr. 


!-. 


1  ".'H  X/i  11   CI  -iin:  TO  HE.  \L  TH:  OR, 

age,  and  stops  the  discharKc  when  the  putrid  matter,  instead 
of  going  oflF,  collects  in  the  groin  and  fonns  hard  tumors, 
which  remain  a  long  time  and  have  to  be  brought  to  a  head 
to  let  off  the  putrid  matter.  Bunches  of  a  .similar  kind  ofteti 
come  on  different  parts  of  the  l)o<ly  caused  by  mercury. 

Much  more  might  be  written  on  this  subject,  but  it  i.n 
difficult  to  find  proper  terms  to  convey  all  the  directions  that 
may  l)e  neces.sary  in  all  ca.ses.  Knough  has  l)een  .said  to 
give  to  those  who  are  so  unfortunate  as  to  have  the  disea.se  a 
general  knowledge  of  the  nature  of  the  conjplaint  and  the 
Ijest  manner  of  effecting  a  cure;  and  to  those  who  are  fortu- 
nate enough  to  escape  it,  any  thing  further  will  be  unneces.sa- 
ry.  If  the  di.sea.se  lie  of  recent  .standing,  let  it  be  considered 
merely  a  case  of  Iwal  canker,  and  treated  as  .such;  but  if  the 
whole  .system  has  become  tainted,  and  especially  if  mercury 
has  lieen  given,  the  disea.se  is  more  difficult  to  remove,  and 
must  be  treated  accordingly. 

MIDWIFERY. 

This  is  a  very  difficult  .subject  to  write  upon,  as  I  know 
of  no  words  that  would  be  proper  to  make  use  of  to  convey 
the  necessary  information  to  enable  a  person  to  attempt  the 
practice  with  .safety.  The  great  importance  of  the  subject, 
however,  induces  me  not  to  be  silent;  and  I  shall  endeavor  to 
make  known  to  the  public  such  thoughts  and  conclusions  as 
long  experience  and  much  solicitude  have  enabled  me  to  form 
concerning  those  who  are  suffering  and  are  constantly  liable 
to  suffer  from  the  erroneous  and  most  unnatural  practice  of 
the  present  day.  The  practice  of  midwifer>'  at  this  time 
appears  to  be  altogether  a  matter  of  speculation  with  the 
medical  faculty,  by  their  exorbitant  price  for  attendance. 
The  tax  on  the  poor  classes  is  very  heavy;  and  this  is  not  the 
greatest  grievance  that  they  have  to  bear,  for  they  are  often 
deprived  of  their  wives  and  children  by  such  ignorant  and 
unnatural  practice  as  is  ver>'  common  in  all  parts  of  the 
country. 

Thirty  years  ago  the  practice  of  midwifery-  was  principally 
in  the  hands  of  experienced  women,  who  had  no  difficulty; 
and  there  was  scarce  an   instance  known  in  those  days  of  a 


lii 


nfViiWii'V'-i- 


nOTANlCFAytll.Y  rilVSIClAN.  Ijii 

woman  dying  in  child-bed,  and  it  was  very  unoonunon  fnr 
them  to  lose  the  child;  but  at  the  present  time  these  things 
are  HO  comnum  Ihat  it  is  hardly  t;i  ked  about.  There  must 
lie  »ome  cause  for  this  difference,  and  I  can  account  tor  it  in 
no  other  way  than  the  unskillful  treatment  they  experience 
from  the  doctors,  who  have  now  got  most  of  the  practice  into 
their  own  hands.  In  the  country  where  I  was  born,  and 
where  I  brought  up  a  family  of  children,  there  was  no  such 
thing  thought  of  as  calling  the  assistance  of  a  doctor;  a  mid- 
wife was  all  that  was  thought  necessary,  and  the  instances 
were  very  rare  that  they  were  not  successful,  for  they  used 
no  art,  but  afforded  such  assistance  as  nature  required;  gave 
herb  tea  to  keep  them  in  a  perspiration  and  to  quiet  the  nerves. 
Their  prif^e  was  one  dollar.  When  the  doctors  began  to  prac- 
tice midwifery  in  the  country,  their  price  was  three  dollars, 
but  they  soon  after  raised  it  to  five,  and  now  they  charge 
from  twelve  to  twenty  dollars.  If  they  go  on  in  this  ratio, 
it  will  soon  take  all  the  people  can  earn  to  pay  for  their 
children. 

All  the  valuable  instruction  I  ever  received  was  from  a 
woman  in  the  town  where  I  lived,  who  had  practiced  as  a 
midwife  for  twenty  years.  In  an  interview  of  about  twenty 
minutes,  .she  gave  me  more  useful  instruction  than  all  I  ever 
gainetl  from  any  other  .source.  I  have  practiced  cojisidera- 
bly  in  this  line,  and  have  always  had  ^ery  good  success.  It 
is  very  important  to  keep  up  the  strength  of  women  in  a  state 
of  pregnancy,  so  that  at  the  time  of  delivery  they  may  be  in 
possession  of  all  their  naUiral  powers.  They  should  be  carried 
through  a  course  of  the  medicine  .several  times,  particularly 
a  little  before  delivery,  and  keep  them  in  a  perspiration  dur- 
ing and  after  delivery,  which  will  prevent  afler  pains,  and 
other  complaints  common  in  such  ca.ses.  Beware  of  bleed- 
ing, opium,  and  cold  baths;  invigorate  all  the  faculties  of  the 
body  and  mind,  to  exert  the  most  laborious  efforts  that  na- 
ture is  called  upon  to  perform,  instead  of  stupifying,  and 
substituting  art  for  nature.  I  will  relate  a  case  that  I  was 
knowing  to,  which  will  give  a  pretty  fair  view  of  the  prac- 
tice of  the  doctors.  A  woman  was  taken  in  travail,  niu  the 
midwife  could  not  come;  a  doctor  was  sent  for;  when  became 


V.W  NEW  GUIDE  TO  HEAL  TH;  OR, 

the  prospect  was  that  she  would  not  be  delivered  in  two 
hours.  He  gave  her  some  medicine  which  caused  vomiting, 
and  turned  the  pains  to  the  stomach;  she  continued  in  this 
situation  for  twelve  hours,  when  her  strength  was  nearlj' 
gone.  He  then  bled  her,  and  to  stop  the  puking  gave  so 
much  opium  as  to  cause  such  stupor  that  it  required  all  the 
exertions  of  the  women  to  keep  the  breath  of  life  in  her 
through  the  night;  in  the  morning  she  remained  very  weak, 
and  continued  so  till  afternoon,  when  she  was  delivered  with 
instruments.  The  child  was  dead,  and  the  woman  came 
very  near  dying,  and  it  was  six  months  before  she  got  her 
strength  again.  Many  more  cases  might  be  given  of  the  bad 
success  of  bleeding  and  giving  opium  to  stupify,  and  making 
use  of  art,  instead  of  assisting  nature  to  do  her  own  work. 

I  have  given  instruction  to  several  who  have  bought  tht 
right,  and  their  practice  has  been  attended  with  complete 
success.  Many  men  that  I  have  given  the  information  to 
have  since  attended  their  own  wives,  and  I  have  never  known 
an  instance  of  any  bad  consequences;  and  if  young  married 
men  would  adopt  the  same  course,  it  would  be  much  more 
proper  and  safe  than  to  trust  their  wives  in  the  hands  of 
young  inexperienced  doctors,  who  have  little  knowledge, 
except  what  they  get  from  books,  and  their  practice  is  to  try 
experiments.  Their  cruel  and  harsh  treatment,  in  many  in- 
stances, would  induce  the  husband  to  throw  them  out  at  the 
window,  if  permitted  to  be  present;  but  this  is  not  allowed, 
for  the  very  same  reason. 

The  following  cases,  and  the  mode  of  treatment,  each  of 
which  presents  something  new  and  difficult,  will  present  to 
view  all  that  will  be  further  necessary  on  this  subject.  These 
will  be  added  by  way  of  supplement. 


ii.- 


BOTANIC  FAMILY  PHYSICIAN. 


131 


red  in  two 
vomiting, 
ued  in  this 
was  nearly 
tig  gave  so 
red  all  the 
life  in  her 
'^ery  weak, 
vered  with 
•man  came 
le  got  her 
of  the  bad 
id  making 
11  work, 
lought  tht 
I  complete 
rmation  to 
ver  known 
ig  married 
luch  more 
e  hands  of 
nowledge, 
:e  is  to  try 
I  many  in- 
out  at  the 
)t  allowed, 

tit,  each  of 
present  to 
:ct.  These 


SUPPLEMENT 

TO  THE  THIRD  EDITION. 


INTRODUCTION. 

"  The  Hebrew  women  are  lively,  and  are  delivered  ere  the  mid- 
wives  come  in  unto  them."     Exodus  i.  19. 

As  an  introduction  to  what  I  have  further  to  say  on  the 
subject  of  midwifery,  the  above  may  answer  as  a  text;  from 
which  I  have  only  to  observe  that,  had  this  important 
branch  been  preserved  in  its  simplicity,  attended  only  by 
women,  as  it  seems  to  have  been  in  the  days  of  the  ancient 
Egyptians,  when  the  Hebrews  were  slaves  under  Pharaoh, 
who  ordered  the  midwives  to  kill  all  the  Hebrew  male  chil- 
dren at  their  birth,  women  might  still  have  been  delivered 
with  as  little  trouble  to  the  midwives,  and  as  little  pain  to 
themselves,  as,  from  the  account,  it  appears  that  they  were 
then.  For,  as  a  cover  to  their  humanity,  and  to  escape  pun- 
ishment from  the  king,  the  midwives  excused  themselves  for 
not  killing  the  male  children  on  account  of  the  liveliness  of 
the  Hebrew  women.  If  those  women  had  had  the  doctors  of 
the  present  day,  with  their  pincers,  Pharaoh  would  have  had 
less  cause  to  have  issued  his  decree  to  kill  the  male  children, 
as  many  might  have  been  killed  with  impunity  before  it  was 
known  whether  they  were  male  or  female.  Has  the  nature 
of  women  altered,  which  makes  the  mode  of  having  children 
so  much  more  difficult  and  mysterious  now  than  it  was  then, 
or  is  it  the  speculation  of  the  doctors,  for  the  sake  of  robbing 
the  people  of  twenty  dollars,  the  regular  tribute  here  for  each 
child  born  ?  And  should  the  child  be  bom,  fortunately  for 
the  mother  and  child  both,  before  the  arrival  of  the  doctor, 


132  XJSir  GUIDE  TO  HEALTH;  OR, 

he  even  then,  instead  of  the  price  of  a  common  visit,  consid- 
ers himself  entitled  to  a  half  fee,  that  is.  ten  dollars.  In  all 
this,  you  may  see  the  mystery-  of  iniquity.  Then  dismiss 
the  doctor;  restore  the  business  into  the  hands  of  women, 
where  it  belongs;  and  save  your  wife  from  much  unnecessary 
pain,  your  children,  perhaps,  from  death,  and,  at  all  events, 
your  moniy  for  better  purpo.ses.  Then  will  your  children 
be  born  naturally,  as  fruit  falls  from  the  tree,  when  ripe,  of 
itself 

From  this  source,  the  doctors  and  their  pincers,  may  be 
traced  the  miserable  health  of  women,  unable  to  stand  on 
their  feet  for  weeks  and  months,  and  never  finally  recover, 
all  caused  by  those  horrid  instruments  of  steel,  to  extend  the 
passage  not  only  for  the  child,  but  for  the  instruments  also. 
In  this  harsh  and  unnatural  operation,  they  often  not  only 
crush  the  head  of  the  child,  but  also  the  neck  of  the  bladder. 
After  this,  there  is  an  involuntary  di.scharge  of  the  urine, 
bearing-down  pains,  etc.,  in.somuch  that  life  becomes  an  in- 
tolerable burden,  without  remedy.  Can  any  one  believe 
there  was  ever  an  instance  of  this  kind  among  the  Hebrew 
women,  where  midwives  only  were  known,  or  where  nature 
only  was  the  midwife?  I  think  not.  Is  there  any  such 
thing  known  among  the  natives  of  this  country,  where  na- 
ture is  their  only  dependence?  History  gives  us  an  account 
of  their  squaws  having  a  pappoose  at  night,  and  wading 
several  rivers  the  next  day,  when  driven  by  Christians  in 
warfare;  and  by  the  simple  use  of  taking  the  unicorn  root,  they 
prevented  themselves  from  taking  cold.  If  all  these  views  of 
the  subject— what  has  been  stated  in  the  body  of  this  work, 
and  what  is  hereto  follow— be  not  satisfactory,  neither  would 
people  be  persuaded  though  one  should  arise  from  the  dead. 

FURTHER  REMARKS  ON  MIDWIFERY. 

As  I  am  often  called  lipon  for  verbal  information  6n  this 
important  subject,  I  shall  endeavor  in  this  supplement  to 
give  some  further  in.structions,  by  relating  several  import- 
ant cases,  and  their  mode  of  treatment,  which  have  occurred 
since  my  last  edition  was  published. 

In  addition  to  the  bad  practice  of  the  doctors,   as  before 


i-r^'ri]m-n'<Yti)eisiit^,i£'iiSii'^tiWJtA^iWf0i--  '•' 


i>4T>,M-'-'»y  ■ 


ROTANIC  FAMll.  Y  /'HVS/CIAX.  VX\ 

related,  I  will  state  another  case,  qf  which  I  was  an  eye-wit- 
ness. My  brother's  wife,  about  thirty  years  old,  was  in 
travail  with  her  first  child.  The  midwife  called  on  me  for 
advice,  on  account  of  a  violent  flooding,  which  I  immediately 
relieved  by  the  hot  medicine.  At  the  same  time,  some  people 
present  privately  sent  for  a  doctor.  When  he  came,  I  told 
him  there  was  no  difficulty,  and  all  that  was  wanting  was 
time.  After  examination,  he  said  the  woman  had  been  well 
treated.  He  then  took  command,  and  very  soon  began  to 
use  too  much  exertion.  He  was  cautioned  by  the  midwife; 
but  he  showed  temper,  and  said,  "Why  did  you  send  for 
me,,  if  you  know  best?"  I  told  him  he  was  not  .sent  for  by 
our  request;  we  found  no  need  of  any  other  help.  The  doc- 
tor persisted  in  this  harsh  treatment  for  about  seven  hours, 
occasionally  trying  to  put  on  his  instruments  of  torture. 
This  painful  attempt  caused  the  woman  to  shrink  from  her 
pains,  and  the  child  drew  back.  After  making  .several  un- 
successful attempts,  he  got  himself  tired  out  and  a.sked  me  to 
examine  her  situation.  I  did  .so,  and  told  him  that  the  child 
was  not  so  far  advanced  as  when  he  came.  He  asked  me  to 
attend  her.  I  refused  the  offer,  and  told  him  that  he  pro- 
nounced the  woman  well  treated  when  he  came,  but  she  had 
not  been  so  treated  since,  and  I  was  not  liable  to  bear  the 
blame.  He  then  sent  for  another  doctor,  and  let  her  alone 
till  the  other  doctor  came,  in  which  time  nature  had  done 
much  in  advancing  her  labor.  The  doctors  were  astonished 
at  her  strength  in  thus  holding  out,  and  I  now  firmly 
believe  that  with  the  use  of  the  medicine  which  had  been 
given  her,  and  v/hich  ought  to  have  been  continued,  nature 
would  have  completed  her  delivery.  The  second  doctor  did 
but  little  more  than  to  say  the  instruments  could  now  be  put 
on;  which  shows  how  far  nature  had  completed  her  work. 
The  first  doctor  put  on  the  in.strumeuts  of  death  and  deliv- 
ered her  by  force,  using  strength  enough  to  have  drawn  a 
hundredweight!  Thus  the  child  was,  as  I  should  call  it, 
murdered;  the  head  crushed,  and  the  doctor  put  it  in  a  tub 
of  cold  water  twice;  an  application,  one  would  have  sup- 
posed, sufficient  to  kill  it,  had  it  been  well! 

The  woman  flooded,  like  the  running  of  water,  so  as  to 


I 


134  NEW  GUIDE  TO  HEALTH;  OR, 

be  heard  by  all  in  the  roqpi.  The  doctor  called  for  cold  wa- 
ter to  put  on  as  soon  as  possible.  I  told  the  doctor  that  he 
need  not  trouble  himself  any  further  about  the  woman,  I 
would  take  the  care  of  her.  I  gave  her  a  spoonful  of  fine 
bayberry ,  cayenne  and  drops,  and  got  her  into  bed  as  soon  as 
possible.  The  alarming  situation  soon  abated;  but  her  senses 
were  gone,  and  her  nerves  all  in  a  state  of  confusion.  I  re- 
peated the  dose,  with  the  addition  of  nerve  powder.  I  put  a 
hot  stone,  wrapped  in  cloths  wet  with  vinegar,  at  her  feet, 
and  also  at  her  back  and  bowels,  until  she  got  warm.  Then 
her  nerves  became  more  composed.  When  the  doctor  left 
her,  he  said  there  was  a  doubt  whether  she  lived  over  twelve 
hours.  At  that  time  she  was  so  swollen  as  to  stop  all  evac- 
uations, besides  other  injuries  she  had  received  by  the  use 
of  force  instead  of  aid.  The  midwife  used  her  best  endeav- 
ors to  promote  a  natural  discharge,  but  in  vain.  But  when 
all  other  soi-'-'?es  fail,  then  comes  my  turn.  I  succeeded,  and 
saved  her  from  mortification.  The  second  daj  ,  I  carried  her 
through  a  course  of  medicine,  steaming  her  in  bed,  for  she 
was  as  helpless  as  though  all  her  bones  had  been  broken. 
All  the  way  she  could  be  turned  was  to  draw  her  on  the  un- 
der sheet,  and  so  turn  her  that  way.  After  the  second 
course  she  began  to  help  herself  a  little.  I  was  with  her 
most  of  the  time  for  five  days  and  nights.  I  then  left  her, 
with  medicines  and  directions,  and  she  gained  her  health  in 
about  two  months.  I  gave  them  directions  how  to  proceed 
in  case  she  should  ever  be  in  the  like  situation  again.  She 
had  another  child  in  about  two  years;  the  child  lived,  and 
both  did  well,  by  keeping  away  the  doctor,  as  I  am  satisfied 
would  have  been  the  case  the  first  time,  had  this  scourge  of 
humanity  been  kept  away. 

I  have  been  more  particular  in  relating  this  case,  than  I 
otherwise  should  have  been,  had  I  not  been  an  eye-witness  to 
all  the  proceedings,  and  of  course  to'all  the  facts  which  I  have 
stated,  which  I  could  not  have  believed  had  I  not  seen  them; 
and  had  it  been  at  my  own  house,  I  think  I  should  not  have 
waited  for  a  door,  but  have  pitched  the  monster  out  at  the 
window.  Yet  I  have  reason  to  believe  that  this  is  only  a 
sample  of  the  general  practice  where  nature  moves  slowly. 


l\ 


BOTANIC  FA  MIL  Y  PHYSICIAN.  135 

The  argot  or  rye  spar,  which  is  a  very  improper  medicine, 
was  also  frequently  given  in  this  case;  but  it  ought  to  be 
particularly  guarded  against  in  all  cases. 


Another  instance  happened  in  the  country  very  recently, 
only  about  six  weeks  since,  where  the  doctor  was  with  a 
young  woman  in  travail,  who  had  fits.  The  doctor  bled  her, 
and  took  away  her  child  dead  by  force.  The  woman  is  yet 
in  a  poor  state  of  health.  What  could  we  expect  otherwise, 
where  learned  men  forbid  the  laws  of  nature  to  take  their 
course,  take  the  blood,  "  which  is  the  life, "  to  enable  wo- 
men to  go  through  with  the  most  laborious  task  which  na- 
ture is  called  on  to  perform  ?  Consider  of  these  things,  my 
friends,  and  govern  yourselves  accordingly. 


Now  let  rac  exhibit  the  other  side  of  the  picture.  I  was 
called  upon  to  attend  a  young  woman  in  child-bed  about 
four  weeks  ago,  eighty  miles  in  the  couiitry.  I  attended. 
She  had  been  sick,  and  sent  for  help  before  I  arrived,  and 
had  got  about  again.  About  one  week  after,  she  was  taken 
again,  with  every  appearance  that  she  would  be  delivered 
soon.  In  about  six  hours  the  pains  all  flatted  away;  she 
grew  pale  and  dull  in  spirits,  and  the  motion  of  the  child 
had  nearly  ceased.  She  had  labored  hard  and  got  cold,  and 
had  a  bad  cough,  and  the  moisture  of  the  glands  was  so 
thickened,  that  she  could  not  spit  clear  of  her  mouth.  I 
saw  that  there  was  no  use  in  any  further  delay.  On  Thurs- 
day I  carried  her  through  a  thorough  course  of  medicine, 
and  steamed  her  twice  in  the  course  of  the  day,  and  then  let 
her  rest.  About  the  same  time  she  was  taken  the  night  be- 
fore, to  wit,  about  eleven  o'clock,  her  pains  were  regular,  her 
animation  and  vigor  returned;  a  fine  son  was  born  about 
three  o'clock,  and  she  walked  from  the  fire  to  the  bed;  a  por- 
tion of  coffee  and  cayenne  was  administered,  and  a  steaming 
stone  put  to  her  feet.  As  soon  as  her  perspiration  was  free, 
all  after-pains  ceased,  and  there  were  none  of  those  alarming 
symptoms  common  to  learned  ignorance.  The  second  day 
she  showed  symptoms  of  a  child-bed  fever  and  broken 
breasts.     I  carried  her  through  another  course  of  medicine 


13ti 


NEW  GUIDE  TO  HEALTH;  OR, 


and  steam.  The  fiftli  day  she  took  breakfast  and  dinner  be- 
low with  the  family,  and  carried  her  child  up  stairs.  The 
eighth  day  she  rode  out  two  miles,  paid  a  visit  and  came 
back.  On  the  ninth  day,  I  carried  her  through  another 
course  of  medicine,  and  got  her  so  far  cleared  that  shecouU 
spit  clear  of  her  mouth  for  the  first  time  after  I  saw  her.  On 
the  tenth  day,  she  rode  the  same  distance;  and  I  have  no 
doubt  that,  had  she  been  attended  in  the  common  way,  she 
would  have  had  the  child-bed  fever,  broken  breasts,  and  a 
poor  health  afterwards. 

This  ca.se  caused  much  conversation.  Why  so?  It  was 
the  different  mode  of  treatment,  reversing  every  mode  com- 
monly attended  to.  "  What  .shall  we  do?"  say  the  people, 
"  we  shall  never  dare  to  employ  a  doctor  again."  I  an.swer: 
"Call  the  doctor  and  obtain  his  advice,  then  reverse  everj' 
prescription  given  by  him  in  a  case  of  child-bed.  If  he  tells 
you  to  have  a  doctor,  have  a  midwife.  If  he  says,  '  Be 
bled, '  keep  your  blood  for  other  uses.  If  he  says,  '  Keep 
yourself  cold,'  sweat  yourself.  If  he  says,  '  Put  cold  wa- 
ter on  your  bowels, '  take  hot  medicine  inside,  and  a  steam- 
ing stone  at  your  feet.  If  he  says,  'Take  physic,' use 
wann  injections.  If  he  says,  '  Starve  yourself,'  eat  what 
your  appetite  craves. ' '  By  strict  observance  of  the  foregoing 
anti-directions,  you  may  enjoy  your  health,  and  save  the 
heavy  bill  for  the  many  visits  of  the  doctor,  besides  saving 
him  from  the  trouble  of  keeping  you  sick.  This  is  the  mode 
of  having  patent  babies,  so  highly  recommended  by  Dr. 
Robinson  in  his  12th  lecture,  who  says:  "  Even  in  child-bed 
delivery,  a  matter  never  to  be  forgotten,  this  practice  has 
very  nearly  removed  the  pain  and  punishment  from  the 
daughters  of  Eve,  threatened  to  our  progenitor  and  entailed 
upon  her  offspring.  A  lady  of  good  sense,  and  without  the 
least  coloring  of  imagination,  .said  it  was  easier  to  have  five 
children  under  the  operation  and  influence  of  this  new  prac- 
tice, than  one  by  the  other  management  and  medicine.  And 
she  had  had  experience  in  both  cases,  and  has  been  sup- 
ported in  the  evidence  by  every  one  who  has  followed  her 
example." 


I'l.iy.w. 


BOTANIC  FAMILY  PHYSICIAN.  VXl 

This  extract  speaks  volumes  in  favor  of  the  treatment  in 
the  last-named  case. 

The  following  case  of  midwifery  I  shall  mention,  with 
the  mode  of  treatment,  for  the  purpose  of  giving  instruction 
to  others: 

I  was  called  to  visit  a  woman  ii  Greenfield,  Saratoga 
County,  N.  Y.,  who  had  been  in  tra.  ail  ten  days,  and  her  life 
despaired  of.  I  think  there  were  not  less  than  ten  men  and 
women  present,  and  the  seal  of  despair  was  set  upon  each 
one's  countenance.  The  woman  in  a  low  voice  said,  "I 
cannot  see  what  can  be  the  use  of  a  woman's  undergoing  the 
distress  I  have  for  ten  days,  and  die  after  all,  as  two  sisters 
of  mine  have  done  in  a  similar  case  but  a  short  time  ago." 
I  replied  that  pain  and  distress  were  the  common  lot  of  all 
mankind,  and  the  duty  of  every  one  is  to  alleviate  the  mis- 
eries of  others  as  far  as  it  is  in  our  power.  She  asked  me  if 
I  thought  I  could  help  her.  I  assured  her  that  I  would  do 
everything  I  could  for  that  purpose.  There  were  several 
persons  present  who  owned  the  right.  I  took  out  my  medi- 
cine, and  put  in  a  teacup  a  large  spoonful  of  composition, 
one  teaspoonful  of  cayenne,  one  of  nerve  powder,  and  one 
spoonful  of  sugar,  filled  the  cup  with  boiling  water,  stirred 
them  well  together,  and  set  it  down.  While  settling,  I  took 
a  large  teaspoonful  of  brown  emetic,  and  having  poured  off 
the  tea  into  another  cup,  stirred  in  the  powder,  and  handed 
it  to  the  woman,  who  swallowed  it,  apparently  with  all  pos- 
sible faith  that  it  would  help  her.  I  called  for  assistance  to 
regulate  the  bed  and  other  things,  which  were  in  disorder 
about  the  room,  as  soon  as  possible.  Everj'  attention  was 
paid,  the  medicine  roused  the  efforts  of  nature,  so  that  the 
woman  was  in  readiness  before  we  were.  This  called  all  to 
her  assistance;  the  desired  object  was  obtained  in  less  than 
fifteen  minutes  after  taking  this  friend  of  nature;  a  fine  son 
was  born  alive,  and  the  woman  comfortable  and  able,  with 
steadying,  to  walk  from  the  fire  to  the  bed,  to  the  great  joy 
of  all  present.  The  gloomy  veil  of  despair  was  rai.sed  from 
the  countenance  of  all,  and  they  heartilj-  partook  of  the  joy 
and  thankfulness  of  the  woman   and  family,  in.somnch  that 


13H  NEW  GUIDE  TO  HEALTH;  OK, 

some  of  the  women  present  declared  that  they  would  never 
have  anj'  other  children  but  patent  ones  hereafter. 

One  of  my  agents,  Joseph  Michell,  went  with  me,  and  we 
retumetl  in  the  space  of  two  hours,  in  a  violent  snow  storm. 
He  declared  that  that  expedition  was  worth  one  hundred 
dollars  to  the  society.  The  next  day,  the  husband  came 
and  purchased  the  right,  with  instruction  on  the  branch  of 
midwifery ;  and  has  attended  his  wife  twice  since,  with  un- 
usual success.  One  of  my  agents  says  he  has  frequently 
heard  the  woman  relate  the  foregoing  case,  but  never  with- 
out shedding  tears. 

CASE  OF  MIDWIFERY  IN  COLUMBUS,  OHIO. 

This  woman  I  agreed  to  be  with  when  confined,  which 
was  expected  in  about  three  weeks.  I  went  to  see  my  son, 
about  1 30  miles.  While  there,  I  fell  and  broke  two  of  my 
ribs.  I  had  a  violent  cough,  and  almost  lost  my  life.  I  did 
not  return  short  of  about  six  weeks,  and  then  in  a  very  poor 
state  of  health.  I  arrived  at  the  house  about  eleven  o'clock 
at  night.  The  woman  was  then  in  travail.  She  said  she 
had  waited  for  me  three  weeks.  The  midwife  said  the  wa- 
ters had  been  discharged  three  days,  and  the  woman  was  in 
a  low  and  lingering  state,  often  wishing  for  me.  I  went  to 
bed  that  night,  but  did  not  sleep  much,  on  account  of  the 
distress  of  the  woman,  and  noise  of  the  moving  in  the  house. 
I  was  solicited  about  noon  the  next  day  by  the  husband  and 
wife,  her  father  and  mother,  my  ag^nt  and  his  wife,  with  an 
earnest  desire  to  attend  the  woman,  as  her  mind  was  set  on 
my  attention.  I  reluctantly  consented,  as  I  was  weak  in 
body  and  mind,  and  hardly  able  to  undergo  the  anxiety  and 
responsibility  of  so  difficult  a  case.  I  however  agreed  to  do 
the  best  I  could.  I  prepared  a  dose  similar  to  that  men- 
tioned in  the  foregoing  case.  It  was  gfiven.  It  soon  had 
the  desired  effect,  by  rousing  the  system  to  action.  I  deliv- 
ered her  in  about  half  an  hour.  But  the  child  was  appar- 
ently dead.  I  took  the  placenta,  or  after-birth,  with  the 
child.  The  grandmother  being  seated  in  the  comer,  she 
placed  the  after-birth  on  a  bed  of  embers,  while  rubbing  the 
child;  and  as  soon  as  the  substance  on  the  coals  had  gained 


HOTANIC  FA  MIL  Y  PHYSICIAN. 


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warmth  enough  to  fill  the  umbilical  cord  with  warmth  and 
moisture,  it  was  stripped  towards  the  body  of  the  child,  and 
so  continued  until  a  sufficient  degree  of  warmth  through  this 
medium  was  conveyed  into  the  body  of  the  child  as  to  ex- 
pand the  lungs,  which  was  effected  in  about  fifleen  or  twen- 
ty minutes;  then  the  string  was  separated  in  usual  form. 

I  relate  this  case  for  the  information  of  those  who  may  not 
have  studied  the  principle  of  heat's  gfiving  life,  as  is  mani- 
fest in  the  present  case.  There  was  no  other  possible  way 
of  communicating  heat  to  the  vitals  except  through  that 
channel  or  stem,  which  had  supported  the  growth  of  the  child 
up  to  that  time,  the  same  as  any  vegetable  fruit  is  supported 
from  the  vine  or  tree  by  the  stem.  If  the  vine  be  cut  off,  or 
pulled  up,  the  fruit  will  wither  and  die.  Now  what  was  the 
cause  of  the  death  of  this  child  ?  Recollect  the  fore  part  of 
this  statement.  The  water  had  been  discharged  three  days. 
All  that  time  the  child  had  been  starving,  the  same  as  the 
fruit  loses  its  support  when  the  vine  is  cut.  But  by  raising 
artificial  heat  through  the  placenta  and  umbilical  cord,  by 
putting  the  former  on  the  embers,  and  conveying  the  heat  to 
the  body  of  the  child  through  the  medium  of  the  latter,  it 
gave  the  child  one  more  meal,  which  roused  it  into  action, 
and  which  was  to  last  till  the  next  means  nature  has  pro- 
vided can  be  obtained.  Before  the  child  is  born,  it  is  .sup- 
ported by  this  stem  from  the  mother  internally;  after  birth, 
from  the  breast  of  the  mother  externally.  This  food  sup- 
ports the  child  till  he  can  eat  more  solid  food,  and  thus  no 
longer  need  the  breast. 

Now  the  attention  of  the  mother, 
.      May  be  employ'd  to  have  another; 
And  so  go  on  with  all  the  '-est, 
Your  house  be  fill'd  with  children  bless'd. 

CASE  OF  A  FALSE  CONCEPTION. 

About  two  years  ago,  I  was  called  on  by  one  of  my  agents 
at  Eastport,  Me.,  who  appeared  to  be  much  alarmed,  and 
requested  me  to  go  with  him  to  visit  a  woman  with  whom 
he  had  been  all  night,  and  could  gfive  her  no  relief.  She  had 
flowed  so  much  that  she  lay  fainted  away  more  than  half 
the  time,    and  the  rest  part  of  the  time  she  was  puking. 


140 


.\7':u-  acini:  to  iikai.tii;  oa; 


I  asked  him  if  she  was  in  a  pregnant  state.  He  thought  not. 
I  answered  I  thought  it  must  be  the  case.  I  went  with 
him.  and  on  the  way  asked  him  if  he  had  given  her  an 
emetic  ?  He  had  not.  If  he  had  used  an  injection  ?  No,  he 
did  not  think  it  would  answer.  Notan.swer!  What  is  your 
medicine  good  for,  if  it  is  not  a  friend  in  the  most  alarming 
case?  When  entering  the  hou.se,  the  man  .said:  "  My  wife 
has  been  fainted  away  more  than  half  the  time  since  you  left, 
and  the  rest  of  the  time  .she  has  been  puking."  I  directed 
•  my  agent  to  go  after  his  .syringe.  The  first  thing  I  could 
find  warm  was  some  worniwood  tea.  I  took  some  in  a  cup, 
and  added  some  cayenne,  nerve  powder,  and  Emetic  Herb, 
sweetened,  as  heretofore  directed.  She  took  it.  I  then 
.steeped  one  pint  of  coffee,  and  had  time  to  give  her  about  one 
glass,  with  a  requisite  portion  of  the  same  article  as  before, 
when  the  .syringe  arrived.  I  then  prepared  about  a  gill  of 
this  liijuid,  and  added  the  same  proportion  of  the  articles 
taken,  and  charged  the  syringe  with  it,  and  ordered  the 
nurse  to  administer  it.  I,  with  my  agent,  left  the  room  for 
the  .space  of  about  ten  minutes,  when  we  were  called  in,  and 
found  the  nurse  much  surprised  at  the  discharge.  The  like 
was  never  .seen  by  any  one  present.  The  appearance  was 
like  a  hog's  heart  secured  in  a  membrane.  The  people  were 
at  a  loss  what  to  call  it.  My  a^ent  was  of  opinion  that  there 
was  some  human  .shape  in  it.  1  said  no.  To  satisfy  him- 
self, he  opened  it  with  his  knife,  and  found  it  solid  fle.sh.  I 
told  them  it  was  a  false  conception,  and  void  of  human  .shape. 
I  then  repeated  the  dose  as  before  given,  and  repeated  the 
injection  in  usual  form,  which  cleared  her  of  all  disorder, 
and  set  nature  at  liberty.  All  flowing,  puking,  and  faint- 
ing ceased  from  the  first  application  I  made.  The  woman 
soon  got  well,  and  in  less  than  one  year  had  a  fine  son,  and 
her  health  remains  good.  Many  thanks  were  given  me  by 
the  family,  believing,  as  they  said,  that  what  I  administered 
to  the  woman,  together  with  what  I  prescribed,  had  .saved 
her  life. 

I  shall  clo.se  this  subject  with  a  few  brief  remarks. 

The  foregoing  cases  I  have  described  for  the  purpose  of 
showing  the  difference  between   forcing  nature,  and  aiding 


ROTAXIC  FAMILY  rHYSICIAN. 


141 


and  assisting  her.  They  are  two  theories  directly  opposed 
to  each  other,  and  can  never  harmonize  together.  As  soon 
as  learned  ignorance  begin.s  to  use  force  to  extend  the  pass- 
age, the  child  cea.ses  from  its  natural  progre.ssion  and  draws 
back;  as  nature  shrinks  from  all  .such  operations,  and  force 
mu.st  then  do  the  whole;  and  if  the  child  should  he  caught 
by  such  force,  as  the  dog  catches  his  game,  it  will  be  likely 
to  .share  the  .same  fate,  as  in  the  case  first  mentioned.  I  shall 
not  follow  up  the  simile  by  comparing  a  doctor  to  a  dog, 
though  it  might  be  made  a  very  striking  one.  Is  not  this 
the  caase  of  many  women  lingering  out  a  miserable  exist- 
ence in  pain  and  torment,  who  are  often  heard  to  say,  "  I 
have  never  been  well  since  my  last  child  was  born.  I  was 
in  the  hands  of  the  doctor  three  days,  and  at  last  was  deliv- 
ered with  instnmients.  I  did  not  stand  on  my  feet  for  six 
weeks,  and  have  never  regained  my  health."  Yet  the  doc- 
tor is  looked  upon  as  her  benefactor,  and  is  thanked  for  sav- 
ing her  life.  Query — Were  these  evil  consequences  ever 
known  where  nature  did  her  own  work,  and  the  child  born 
before  the  doctor  could  get  here?  In  all  my  practice,  I  nev- 
er knew  an  in.stance  where  the  woman  could  not  bear  her 
weight  upon  her  feet  the  same  day.  Nor  have  I  ever  heard 
of  a  single  instance  where  nature  had  been  a.ssisted  accord- 
ing to  my  practice  by  others,  where  the  patient  was  not  able 
to  bear  her  weight  on  her  feet  the  same  day  of  her  deliver)'. 
As  to  the  cau.se  of  the  difference  between  those  attended  ac- 
cording to  nature  and  those  attended  secundum  artem  (ac- 
cording to  art),  I  shall  leave  the  reader  to  dec'defor  himself. 
Another  evil  in  this  branch  which  I  shall  mention  here, 
and  of  which  women  have  generally  either  felt  or  heard,  is 
that  of  taking  the  after-birth  by  force.  The  doctor  says, 
"  It  has  grown  fast  to  the  side,"  and  tears  it  off,  .so  as  to  be 
heard  by  those  present.  Alarming,  if  net  fatal,  con.sequences 
are  the  result.  The  question  is,  what  other  way  can  be  done? 
Answer:  The  same  as  in  taking  the  child.  Assi.st  nature, 
instead  of  forcing  it.  The  only  rule  given  by  me  to  those 
who  wish  to  attend  their  own  wives  or  others  is  simply  this: 
After  the  string  is  separated  from  the  child,  be  careful  not  to 
lose  it  by  letting  it  draw  back,  as  this  is  the  oniy  sure  guide 


. 


(if 


IV:  NKIV  G I '//)/-•  TO  HHALTH;  ON, 

to  the  placenta.  Take  the  string  between  the  thumb  and 
finger  of  the  left  hand,  drawing  it  straight,  while  having  the 
same  between  the  thumb  and  finger  of  the  right  hand,  slip- 
ping it  forward  until  you  find  the  solid  part  to  which  the 
string  is  attached.  Take  a  steady  pull  when  the  pain  is  on. 
After  a  few  .seconds  it  will  begin  to  give  way,  turning  inside 
out,  as  turning  the  lining  to  the  sleeve  of  a  coat.  But  if  it 
stick  fast,  take  care  not  to  break  the  .string,  as,  if  you  do,  you 
lase  your  guide.  Keep  the  woman  well  fed  with  hot  medi- 
cine, to  prevent  flooding.  Then  carry  her  through  a  course 
of  medicine,  and  when  the  .system  is  slackened  it  will 
often  come  of  i^lf.  I  would  prefer  having  it  remain  till  it 
discharges  itself,  according  to  nature,  as  it  certainly  will  in 
time,  than  to  be  taken  away  by  force,  as  I  have  seen  done. 
The  danger  is  far  less.  But  I  never  knew  a  ca.se  of  the  kind 
where  the  woman  had  been  sufficiently  cleared  by  the  medi- 
cine near  the  time  of  her  delivery.  I  knew  one  instance 
where  the  woman  had  been  treated  by  force  in  this  way,  and 
she  had  been  so  injured  that  all  her  urine  ran  away  as  fast 
as  it  collected.  The  doctors  had  so  injured  her  that  they 
declared  she  would  never  live  to  have  another  child.  But 
they  were  mistaken.  The  next  one  she  was  attended  by  my 
direction,  and  carried  through,  I  think,  thirteen  courses  of 
medicine  before  delivery.  I  attended  her.  She  was  sick 
but  about  two  hours;  was  delivered  and  cleared  without  any 
difficulty,  and  both  she  and  her  child  did  well. 

There  are  as  great  errors  committed  in  u.sing  force  for  the 
after- birth  as  for  the  child.  The  inflammation  caused  by 
using  force  in  taking  the  child  causes  the  obstruction  in 
taking  the  after-birth.  When  learned  ignorant  pretenders, 
who  know  nothing  about  following  the  umbilical  cord  for 
their  guide,  proceed  inward,  where  they  have  no  business, 
they  often  commit  irreparable  injury,  and  instead  of  taking 
the  after-birth,  they  injure  the  womb,  sometimes  by  turning 
it  wrong  side  out,  which  causes  distressing  bearing-down 
pains,  and  thus  the  woman  must  linger  out  a  miserable  ex- 
istence until  death  comes  as  a  welcome  fnend  to  relieve  her. 

Thus,  kind  reader,  I  have  given  you  the  most  important 
particulars  I   now  think  of,  and  as  to  any  further  general 


b^MU 


..w.'rtii 


•  and 
?  the 
slip- 
the 
J  on. 
iside 
if  it 
you 
ledi- 
urse 
will 
11  it 
1  in 
Mie. 
:ind 
edi- 
ince 
and 
fast 
hey 
But 
nij' 
i  of 
lick 
my 

the 

by 

in 
«, 
for 
ss, 
ng 

ng 
ivn 

er. 
nt 
•al 


BOTANIC  FAM[I.  Y  PHYSICIAN.  148 

directions,  I  can  do  no  Ixitter  than  to  refer  you  to  the  Cicner- 
al  Dinrtions,  as  laid  down  in  this  book;  and  it  is  my  opin- 
ion that  you  are  lietter  off  with  your  own  judgment  and  this 
book,  than  with  all  the  scientific  ignorance,  called  knowl- 
edge, as  tdught  in  the  schools,  without  it.  Hence  njy  ad- 
vice to  you  is:  Dismiss  all  doctors  of  law,  physic  and  divinity. 
Pray  for  your  own  soul,  if  you  know  what  it  is,  doctor  your 
own  body,  and  make  your  own  will.  By  so  doing  you  will 
.save  your  share  of  the  greate.st  tax  ever  impo.sed  on  man- 
kind. 

OUTLINES  OF  TREATMENT  IN  THE  HOUR  OF  TRAVAIL. 

To  point  out  a  regular  rule  or  form  for  every  woman, 
would  be  out  of  my  power,  as  they  are  re.stless,  shifting  their 
position  in  every  form  and  manner  to  find  a  place  of  rest, 
which  is  as  difficult  a?  that  of  Noah's  dove.  When  they  be- 
come .so  far  advanced  that  they  cani.ot  satisfy  themselves 
any  longer  in  their  own  way,  then  you  may  a.ssist  them  in 
the  be.st  manner  to  help  themselves,  and  to  enable  others  to 
help  them,  by  assisting  nature  to  do  her  own  work. 

The  seat  is  prepared  in  different  ways,  according  to  their 
fancy.  Those  who  have  had  children  ought  to  Ijc  the  best 
judge  how  to  aid  and  assist  them  in  this  particular.  I  shall 
only  give  advice  how  to  proceed  in  .some  alarming  and  diffi- 
cult cases,  to  be  handed  down  for  the  benefit  of  generations 
yet  unborn,  as  none  can  be  obtained  from  the  progress  of  the 
learned  for  four  thousand  years.  And  if  any  beneficial  in- 
formation shall  now  be  obtained,  it  must  be  from  the  illiter- 
ate, who  have  studied  nature  rather  than  books.  I  have  no 
authors,  dictionaries  or  concordance  to  assi.st  my  feeble  ef- 
forts in  acquiring  a  correct  judgment.  Necessity  and  expe- 
rience are  the  only  sources  of  my  knowledge,  from  which  I 
draw  all  my  lessons. 

Among  the  most  desperate  cases  is  the  flowing  of  females; 
pregnant  or  not,  the  treatment  is  the  same.  If  it  happens 
before  delivery,  give  a  portion  of  composition,  with  more  cay- 
enne and  hot  witer,  sweetened;  or  some  drops,  cayenne 
and  snuff,  or  fine  bayberry,  as  substitutes.  If  after  delivery, 
the  same.     When  the  woman  grows  weary  and   worn  out. 


I     ' 


144"  NFAV  GUIDE  TO  HEALTH;  OR, 

and  pains  begin  to  die  away,  give  a  portion  of  the  third 
preparation,  in  some  composition  and  nerve  powder.  This 
will  compose  the  system  so  as  to  rest  or  reinforce  nature  and 
hasten  delivery.  It  is  of  great  service  when  the  pains  are 
lingering,  at  the  time  of  giving  the  above-name'd  medicine 
to  use  an  injection,  in  common  form,  made  of  the  same  com- 
pound. This  will  hasten  or  delay  delivery,  as  nature  re- 
quires. 

Remark.  About  the  time  of  deliverj'  apply  a  cloth  sev- 
eral thicknesses,  wet  with  hot  water,  to  slack  the  muscles; 
repeat  it  qpcasionally,  and  keep  it  hot  till  nature  is  ready  to 
perform  her  work. 

I  attended  one  woman  in  this  city  with  her  first  child. 
Her  strength  failed,  her  pains  slacked;  I  gave  her  a  table- 
spoonful  of  the  liquid  of  the  third  preparation;  wrapped  her 
warm,  which  caused  her  to  vomit  once,  and  raised  a  perspi- 
ration; she  fell  asleep,  and  in  this  situation  rested  four  hours, 
when  the  head  of  the  child  was  so  far  advanced  as  to  have 
been  visible.  She  awoke,  her  travail  recommenced  with 
reinforced  vigor.  She  was  delivered  rather  in  a  cold  state; 
she  flowed  badly.  I  gave  her  some  No.  2  and  drops,  with  a 
little  fine  baj'berry,  which  had  the  desired  effect.  She  walked 
from  the  fire  to  the  bed,  and  did  well. 

There  is  another  distressing  complaint  incident  to  females 
worse  than  having  children ;  and  often  no  relief  from  the  doc- 
tors. I  have  seen  women  in  as  great  agony  with  false  pains 
as  at  the  delivery  of  a  child.  A  strong  tea  of  witch-hazel 
leaves  and  nerve  powder,  and  a  little  cayenne,  .strained,  used 
by  injection  either  way,  or  both,  I  have  seen  relieve  like 
throwing  water  on  the  fire.  The  disorder  is  canker,  and 
must  be  met  with  its  antidote  where  it  is. 

These  few  remarks,  together  with  the  foregoing  cases, 
will  be  sufficient  information  on  this  subject.  In  conclus- 
ion, I  would  ask,  Can  we  attach  sufficient  value  to  a  medi- 
cine that  will  give  rest  to  a  weary  patient  in  travail,  and  re- 
store the  nefves  and  muscles  to  a  giant  ike  strength,  as  re- 
freshed by  wine,  and  continue  the  strength  until  delivery  is 
completed;  and  at  the  same  time  guard  against  all  those 
alarming  complaints  which  too  often  follow  afterwards  ?    A 


of  the  third 
A'der.  This 
nature  and 
he  pains  are 
ed  medicine 
;  same  com- 
B  nature  re- 

a  cloth  sev- 
lie  muscles; 
is  ready  to 

first  child, 
ler  a  table- 
rapped  her 
;d  a  perspi- 
four  hours, 
IS  to  have 
need  with 
cold  state; 
ps,  with  a 
he  walked 

to  females 
n  the  doc- 
"alse  pains 
itch-hazel 
ned,  used 
lieve  like 
tiker,  and 

• 

ing  cases, 
conclus- 
>  a  medi- 
,  and  re- 
th,  as  re- 
livery  is 
all  those 
rds?    A 


BOTANIC  FAMILY  PHYSICIAN.  ijr, 

medicine  to  which  you  may  resort  with  perfect  confidence  in 
times  of  the  greatest  peril,  that,  if  anything  can,  will  save 
your  wife  and  child,  and  the  fee  of  twenty  dollars  from  the 
doctor.  This  is  the  regular  fee  in  cities,  though  it  is  less  in 
the  country. 

SUPPLEMENT  TO  THE  VENEREAL.- See  page  125. 

There  are  four  diseases,  or  rather  four  names  of  disease, 
which  are  often  made  fatal  in  consequence  of  the  name,  i . 
Venc-eal.  2.  Hydrophobia.  3.  Smallpox.  4.  Erysipelas" 
As  the  remedy  is  laid  down  in  the  Medical  Pocket  Book, 
the  name  is  doctored  instead  of  the  dista.se.  If  a  child  has  a 
sore  ear,  and  it  runs  a  yellow  water,  it  will  spread  like  fire, 
as  often  seen  on  a  pot;  and  it  will  inoculate  where  it  touches! 
While  on  the  child's  ear,  women  call  it  a  canker  .sore,  and 
there  is  nothing  alarming  under  this  name.  Any  old  woman 
can  cure  it.  But  take  the  same  infection  from  the  ear,  and 
inoculate  with  it  in  that  part  of  the  body  where  venereal  is 
seated,  and  call  it  venereal,  the  consequence  is  the  sam«  and 
by  the  same  mercurial  treatment  there  would  be  all  the 
alarming  consequences  as  though  the  disorder  was  gener- 
ated in  any  other  way.  Yea,  if  the  pafiei.t  was  well,  with 
the  same  administration  of  mercury,  in  the  same  way,  and  to 
.  the  same  extent,  the  buboes  and  shankers  would  often  make 
their  appearance  in  the  same  manner  without  the  supposed 
di.sease  as  with.  They  doctor  the  name  instead  of  the  dis- 
order. The  patient,  therefore,  as  often  loses  his  life  by  the 
mercury  as  by  the  supposed  disease. 

Equally  so  in  hydrophobia,  by  taking  mercurj'  the  rem- 
edy becomes  worse  than  the  disease. 

In  either  of  the  above  cases,  the  disorder  is  far  easier 
cured  by  a  regular  course  of  medicine  than  the  poison  given 
for  it;  as  the  mercury  is  harder  to  eradicate  from  the  .system 
than  all  the  natural  disease  incident  to  mankind. 

Since  my  last  edition  was  publi.shed,  the  .smallpox  has 
been  thoroughly  attended  to,  and  the  general  rule,  as  there 
laid  down,  found  to  answer  every  purpo.se  and  produce  the 
desired  effect.  To  bring  out  the  smallpox,  as  in  the  meas- 
les and  other  similar  disorders,    be  careful  not  to  have  too 


l-lti 


NEW  a  VIDE  TO  lU  AI.TH;  Ok\ 


much  outward  heat  while  the  pock  is  filling.  I  visited  a 
family  in  Cinciiniati  last  winter  who  had  the  smallpox,  and 
who  had  had  the  kinepox  previous.  The  appearance  of  the 
pustules  was  more  like  poison  or  measles  than  that  of  the 
smallpox.  When  it  turned,  it  began  to  flat,  instead  of  dry- 
ing off;  and  when  it  had  flatted  down  to  the  vitals,  it  turned 
in,  and  one  died,  and  the  other  it  left  in  a  miserable  state  of 
health,  the  pits  hard  and  blue,  lik<;  other  poison  sores;  and  I 
am  of  an  opinion  that  more  people  die  in  consequence  of 
having  the  kinepox,  than  it  would  to  let  the  smallpox  have 
its  natural  run.  Because  the  nature  of  the  smallpox,  when 
taken  the  natural  way,  is  to  clear  the  system  from  every 
other  putrefaction,  which,  on  the  turn,  scabs  off  with  it. 
Not  so  in  the  kinepox.  The  infection  partakes  of  every 
disorder  of  the  persons  of  which  it  was  taken — itch,  venereal, 
cancer  humors,  or,  worse  than  all  the  rest,  mercurial  taint 
given  by  the  doctor.  When  part  or  all  of  these  diseases  are 
inoculated  into  a  healthy  pers5on,and  have  no  way  to  discharge 
themselves  from  the  system,  tHey  create  worse  disease  than  the 
smallpox.  I  knew  a  man  in  Portsmouth,  N.H.,who  was  inoc- 
ulated with  the  kinepox,  the  infection  taken  from  a  man  who 
had  cancer  humor.  He  was  a  healthy  man  when  inoculated. 
I  saw  him  within  two  years,  and  it  was  judged  that  he  had 
more  than  half  a  peck  of  cancers  on  diflFerent  parts  of  the  • 
l)ody  and  limbs.  He  imputed  it  entirely  to  this  inoculation, 
and  highly  disapproved  of  the  kinepox.  He  died  in  the 
most  distressed  condition. 


The  learned  have  added  uuthiuK  to  the  healing  art:  but  they  have  done  much 
in  taking  the  knowledge  of  the  simple  remedies  from  the  people.  They  have  sub- 
stituted the  poisonous  minerals,  which  have  multiplied  the  forms  of  disease,  and 
thereby  added  to  our  bills  of  mortality.  They  have  taken  midwiferj-  from  the 
tender  hands  of  women ,  and  substituted  the  torturing  instruments  of  steel,  where- 
by not  only  children,  but  woinf:n.  have  been  scarified.  In  relation  to  such  practice, 
Kobiuson  says,  I,ec.  viii,  page  10.5:  "It  is,  in  truth,  like  running  the  gauntlet 
among  armed  Indians,  or  red-hut  plough-shares,  to  escape  from  the  poiKoiis  or 
medical  practice." 


Why  do  old  people  die  more  in  a  7i<arni  and  rainy  winter 
than  in  a  severe  cold  one  f 

The  answer  to  the  above  question  is  at  hand.  Old  peo- 
ple are  like  the  old  hou.se  which  they  built  in  their  j-ounger 


.*y«-j.-w»i\!isM*^».^'sfj^'feis*wr*i*j^4l^<t^ 


/loT.iy/c  r.iM/Ly  mvs/c/.ix.  ii; 

days.     The  house  decays  about  as  fast   as  its  builder,   and 
becomes  racked  witli  the  wind  and  storms  which  have  beaten 
upon  it  until  the  cracks  open,  the  shingles  blow  off,  and  the 
house  grows  leaky  an  1  cold.     So  is  the  man  in  his  old  age. 
He  has  become  racked  with  the  .storms  and  hard.ships  of  life; 
his  heat  goes  out,    the   fire-place  decays,  his  food  digests 
poorly,  and  gives  but  little  nouri.shment  or  heat  to  warm  the 
body  and  expand  the  lungs.     For  the   inward  heat  rarifies 
the  air  in  the  lungs,  and  cau.ses  them  to  expand,  by  lighten- 
ing the  air  within,  and  the  heft  of  the  surrounding  atmos- 
phere, being  higher  charged  with  oxygen  or  water,  puts  out 
the  fire  faster  than  dry,  cold  air;   and   as  the  heat  decays  in- 
ward, the  weight  of  the  air  crowds  heavily  on  the  lungs,  and 
causes  great  difficulty  in  breathing:  the  lungs  labor  like  the 
wheel  of  a  mill  in  back  water,  the  fountain  almost  level  with 
the  stream,  until  the  heat  in  the  lungs  becomes  insufficient 
to  expand  them  any  iong  r-  the  heft  of  the  air  comes  to  an 
equilibrium  of  heft  insit  all  motion  ceases.  The  water 

in  the  air  has  put  out  th   -  This  is  the  cause  why  in  those 

people  who  have  but  little  fire  in  the  body,  and  such  a  heft 
of  damp  air  outside,  the  heat  is  so  soon  extinguished  inside, 
like  a  person  falling  into  the  water;  the  cau.se  of  death  is,  that 
the  water  has  put  out  the  fire;  and  when  the  air  irffull  of  water, 
it  puts  out  the  fire  in  the  same  proportion.  Thus  I  think  I 
have  given  a  satisfactory  cause  of  death  upon  natural  princi- 
ples.    The  cau.se  and  effect  are  in  themselves. 

In  this  ca.se,  I  would  ask  the  Christian,  of  every  denom- 
ination, what  God  here  either  gave  or  took  away  life?  Was 
there  any  God  in  the  ca.se  abstract  from  the  cause  here  giv- 
en? Or  what  soul  or  .spirit  went  out  at  death  except  the 
heat,  or  nature,  which  cau.sed  life  and  breath? 

HOW  DOCTORS  SHORTEN  THE  LIVES  OF  THEIR  PATIENTS. 

That  the  practice  of  the  regular  doctors,  as  they  are 
termed,  .shortens  the  lives  of  their  patients,  is  a  truth  of 
which  I  have  not  the  shadow  of  a  doubt,  and  the  cau.se.  to 
me,  is  obvious.  The  cold  poi.sons  which  they  administer 
have  the  effect  of  chilling  the  .stomach  and  killing  the  di- 
gestive organs:  so  that  the  fo(xl  does  not  raise  more  than  half  ' 


:fl 


148  A'A'H'  GUIDE  TO  HEALTH;  OR, 

the  heat  it  did  in  a  natural  state,  before  those  poisons  had 
been  administered.  Then  the  bleedi'.iK  and  blistering  lessen 
the  remainder  so  as  to  reduce  the  heat  to  the  capacity  of  old 
age.  It  is  the  same  thing  no  matter  what  age,  from  one 
hour  old  to  an  hundred  years.  When  the  heat  is  so  far  ex- 
hausted that  the  air  is  not  sufficiently  lightened  by  the  heat 
to  expand  the  adjoining  air,  the  pressure  becomes  equalled, 
external  and  internal,  the  same  as  in  the  ca.se  of  a  drowned 
person.  There  is  no  difference  as  to  age,  .sect,  or  denomina- 
tion, so  far  as  the  practice  is  concerned;  and  .so  far  as  that 
goes  to  lessen  the  heat  b>-  bleeding,  by  fever  powders,  or  by 
poison,  all  tend  to  lessen  inward  heat,  and  to  diminish  life  in 
the  same  proportion ;  and  when  it  is  entirely  extinguished, 
death  follows  as  a  natural  consequence,  and  from  the  same 
cause,  loss  of  heat,  whatever  it  may  be  that  puts  out  the  fire. 
The  putting  out  of  the  fire,  or  extinguishing  inward  or  vital 
heat,  is  the  cause  of  death. 

All  practitioners,  therefore,  may  by  this  rule  either  con- 
demn or  justify  themselves  by  looking  back  on  their  former 
practice,  and  asking  themselves  the  question:  "Have  I  cul- 
tivated the  heat  of  my  patients,  to  prolong  their  lives;  or  have 
I  extinguished  their  heat,  and  thereby  killed  or  destroyed 
them  ?"  Is  Hot  this  question  fully  answered  >  See  how  the 
lives  of  human  beings  are  daily  sacrificed,  at  all  ages,  from 
birth  to  death  !  Who,  I  would  ask,  is  authorized  to  .say  in 
such  a  case,  "  The  Lord  gives,  and  the  Lord  taketh  away, 
and  blessed  be  the  name  of  the  Lord,"  when  they  are  de- 
stroyed in  this  manner  ? 

In  everything  that  breathes,  the  breathing  is  from  the 
same  cause.  Without  heat,  there  is  no  breathing.  But 
when  heat  is  continually  generatecl  or  evolved  in  a  confined 
room,  excepting  at  one  avenue,  as  in  the  lungs,  there  mast 
be  breathing,  or,  what  is  the  same,  an  inhaling  of  cold  air, 
and  an  exhaling  of  oxygen  or  vapor  from  it.  Every  animal 
l)ody  has  its  lamp,  in  proportion  to  its  bigne.ss;  and  its  con- 
tinuing to  burn  is  much  owing  to  the  one  who  trims  or  takes 
care  of  the  lamp.  If  it  be  replenished  with  water  instead  of 
oil,  and  with  an  icicle  for  a  wick,  it  is  like  the  method  in 
which  the  doctors  trim  the  lamps  of  their  patients.     Taking 


ROTANIC  FAM/L  V  /'HVSfCf.iX. 


149 


out  the  blcKxl  is  like  pouritig  out  the  oil ;  and  the  cold  poison 
is  as  the  icicle  for  a  wick.  The  effect  soon  follows,  which 
is  cold  and  darkne&s.  Can  we  doubt  this  being  the  fact  at 
the  present  time  ?  Do  we  not  often  see  the  head  of  a  family 
suddenly  made  cold  by  his  lamp  being  put  out;  and  three  or 
four  children  taken  from  one  house,  all  having  their  lamps 
blown  out  ?  Can  any  one  suppose  that  had  their  lamps  been 
trimmed  with  good  oil,  and  good  wicks,  that  they  would  not 
have  continued  burning  as  long  as  the  body  of  the  lamp  re- 
mained whole  ?  But  if  we  continue  not  our  own  guards  and 
sentinels,  but  employ  artificial  and  leanied  fools  to  watch 
over  us,  and  save  our  oil  for  their  own  use,  and  trim  our 
lamps  with  water  and  ice,  we  cainiot  wonder  at  seeing  our 
wives  and  children  "dashed  in  pieces  like  the  potter's  ves- 
sel." When  we  employ  seamen  to  drive  our  coach  of  life, 
instead  of  horsemen,  and  as  long  as  cu.stom,  superstition, 
error  and  bigotry  are  the  ruling  principles  of  the  world,  we 
never  can  expect  to  live  while  all  the  oil  in  our  lamps  is 
consumed,  but  to  be  blown  out  by  the  breath  of  ignorance,  if 
nothing  worse,  as  mankind  has  been  in  all  ages  where  the 
poi.sonous  breath  of  the  BohonUpas  overtakes  them. 

The  Priest  and  Doctor  claiming:  the  control. 
One  of  the  flesh,  the  other  of  the  soul. 
Hell  and  the  pit,  from  which  they  dig  their  stuff. 
Are  never  filled,  yea,  never  crj-  enough. 

The  effect  of  relijfious  meetings,  ivherc  xvomen  chiefly  at- 
tend, in  the  absence  of  their  husbands. 

If  women  are  allowed  to  attend  day  and  night  meetings, 
for  the  purpose  of  having  the  priest  pray  for  their  souls  and 
pardon  their  sins,  wHile  their  husbands  and  children  are  left 
at  home,  how  long  will  it  be  before  the  sandals  of  the  priest 
will  be  left  at  the  door,  as  in  soiue  other  countries,  as  a  token 
that  the  husband  must  not  enter,  lest  he  should  see  and  learn 
how  the  priest  pardons  his  wife's  sins? 

The  doctor  also,  who  comes  in  for  a  full  share  in  these 
secret  privileges,  if  he  l)e  allowed  to  examine  .secretly  our 
wives  and  daughters  for  the  purpose  of  finding  .some  .secret 
complaint,  which  is  indecent  for  the  husband  or  father  to 
witness  or  to  know,    as  was  the  case  of  R 's  wife  and 


-*» 


loO 


XEW  cvinr.  to  huai.th;  oh\ 


Dr.  A ,  of  this  city,  hut  a  few  years  since,  who  is  to  be 

responsible  for  the  mode  of  examination? 

If  men  will  allow  their  wives  to  be  thus  privately  exam- 
ined by  these  crafts,  for  the  purpose  of  pardoning  their  sins 
and  removing  their  indecent  disorders,  will  they  not  soon 
claim  all  the  indecent  jobs  in  their  families  ?  If  it  be  inde- 
cent for  a  man  to  lie  present  at  the  birth  of  his  child,  why  not 
equally  indecent  to  Ik*  present  at  its  generation  ?  And  so  we 
must  let  the  priest  and  the  doctor  generate,  as  well  as  bring 
into  the  world,  all  our  children  !  The  priest  could  still  bap- 
tize them  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  Son  and  Holy  Ghost, 
in  whose  name,  also,  he  might  pardon  the  sins  of  their  moth- 
er !  In  this  way,  those  two  crafts  might  liberate  the  affection- 
ate husband  from  all  the  toils  of  his  family,  excepting  that 
of  their  maintenance ! 

Arouse,  husbands,  from  your  lethargy.  Gird  on  every 
man  his  sword  by  his  side.  The  sword  of  truth,  I  mean. 
Go  in  and  out  of  your  camp,  and  whenever  you  please,  till 
you  have  driven  all  such  miscreants  from  your  borders. 
Take  the  protection  of  your  wives  and  daughters  into  your 
own  hands;  keep  them  at  home  at  all  proper  times,  and  when 
they  go  to  meeting,  go  with  them;  when  they  are  so  sick  as 
to  need  a  doctor,  which,  if  properly  treated,  would  seldom  be 
the  case,  be  present  at  the  examination;  if  they  need  prayers, 
pray  for  them  yourselves;  if  they  want  children,  be  sure  to 
be  their  real  father,  and  take  a  fatherly  care  of  them  in 
bringing  into  the  world,  as  well  as  afterwards;  nourish  them 
with  due  attention,  instruct  them  in  all  that  is  good;  but 
save  them,  by  all  means,  from  the  pincers  of  learned  doctors, 
or  the  fears  of  missionarj-  mules. 

49*AII  people  who  have  been  attended  by  Patent  Doctors  are  cautioned 
agrainst  puttinf;  themselves  under  regular  doctors,  as  the  cases  have  generally 
proven  fatal  to  the  patient,  and  the  blame  palmed  on  the  Patent  Doctor;  some  al- 
ter two  weeks  in  their  care. 

SEAMEN'S  DIRECTIONS. 

After  purchasing  the  right,  and  having  a  sample  of  med- 
icine numbered,  these  directions  are  the  first  lessons  learned, 
as  it  gives  a  short  and  coiicise  view  of  the  system  and  prac- 
tice.    In  the  first  .stages  of  disease,  one  gill  of  No.  3  may 


BOTANIC  FAMILY  PHYSICIAN.  |5l 

be  used  simple,  with  or  without  sugar.  In  more  violent  at- 
tacks, use  from  a  half  to  a  teaspoonful  of  No.  2;  let  the  pa- 
tient he  covered  with  a  blanket,  by  the  fire  or  in  bed;  apply 
a  hot  .stone  at  the  feet;  if  this  does  not  relieve  them,  add  the 
emetic,  No.  i ,  and  nerve  powder,  and  go  through  a  course 
of  medicine.  In  all  ca.ses  where  the  glands  are  dry,  and 
much  fever,  the  emetic  should  be  used  without  .spirit;  the 
bitters  are  also  best  taken  in  hot  water,  sweetened,  than  with 
.spirit.  The  objection  to  phy.sic  and  bleeding  is  given  in 
these  directions  hereafter.  The  complement  of  medicine 
given  as  a  family  stock  is  more  to  show  the  .simplicity  of  the 
articles  than  the  rt  (juisite  quantity  required.  Give  chil- 
dren drink  often,  sick  or  well. 

»®"The  public  are  cautioned  against  employing  any  one 
who  shall  pretend  to  use  his  own  improvements  with  my 
System  of  Practice,  as  I  will  not  be  accountable  for  any  mal- 
practice of  his. 

Th'  Btuetic  number  one's  desifj^u'd 
A  general  med'cine  for  mankind. 
Of  every  country,  clime,  or  place. 
Wide  as  the  circle  of  our  race. 

In  every  case,  and  state,  and  stag-. 
Whatever  malady  may  rage; 
For  male  or  female,  young  or  old. 
Nor  can  its  value  half  Le  told. 

To  use  this  med'cine  do  not  cease. 
Till  you  are  helped  of  your  disease; 
For  NATURE'S  FRIEND  this  sure  will  be. 
When  you  are  taken  sick  at  sea. 

t,et  number  two  be  used  bold, 
To  clear  the  stomach  of  the  cold; 
Next  steep  the  coffee,  number  thkek, 
And  keep  as  warm  as  you  can  be. 

A  hot  stone  at  the  feet  now  keep. 
As  well  as  inward  warmth  repeat. 
The  fountain  'bove  the  stream  keep  clear. 
And  perspiration  will  appear. 

When  sweat  euough  as  you  suppose. 
In  spirit  wash,  and  change  your  clothes; 
Again  to  bed,  both  clean  and  white. 
And  sleep  in  comfort  all  the  night. 

Should  the  disorder  reinforce, 
Then  follow  up  the  former  course; 
The  second  time  I  think  will  do. 
The  third  to  fail  I  seldom  knew. 


f 


:•' 


lo2 


X/iir  a  LI  IDE  TO  miAl.TH;  Ok\ 

Now  Inkr  your  liiUt-rH  |,j   tin.  ,yuj. 
Tw.i,  three,  or  four  tiiiies  in  a  ,|nv 
Your  nppelilf  if  it  lie  kikxI, 
Y.)u  iiiny  eiit  niiy  kiiul  of  fo<«| 

I'liysic  I  woiiUI  l,y  „u  menus  ilii«ise 
To  Imve  yo;i  first  or  IohI  to  iihc; 
I'or  if  you  mice  it  much  In  course, 
It  will  <liMoriler  reinforce. 

If  nny  ime  Nhoiild  be  much  liniind, 
Where  I.lee<linjr  freqnently  is  ns.l. 
A  lively  sweat  upon  that  clay 
Will  start  the  hlcKxl  n  l)etter  way. 

Let  names  of  all  cllsorilers  be 
Uke  to  the  limlw  joind  cm  a  tree 
Work  on  the  root,  and  that  subdue. 
Then  all  the  limbs  will  bow  to  you. 

So  IIS  the  iMxly  is  the  tree, 
The  limbs  are  colic,  pleurisy. 
Worms  and  (Travel,  gout  and  stone 
Remove  the  cause  and  they  are  gone. 

My  systems  founded  on  this  truth 
Mans  Air  and  Water,  Hire  and  Karth 
And  death  is  cold,  and  life  is  heat 
These  temperd  well,  your  healths'  complete 


wywu-t » ^..nMjjf.^^  ■it-<^»,dfav»>. 


lun: \.\n  lAMii. y  phys/i  /.ix. 


I.Vl 


INJ^EX. 


AKiit  in  the  I'lici- kni 

American  Viilt- nan (|7 

Archaueel 7s 

Halm  ofCilead 75 

llalHnm  of  Kir 7;| 

llarherry tt2 

llnyberry ]  ] . .  57 

Black  I'cpper r,)! 

Hitter  Herb til 

Hitter  Root ta 

Hittersweet 70 

Bircii  Bark 72 

Bitter  Thistle 78 

Hitters «2 

UleedinK lo7 

Bile  (see  No.  4  ) 

Hilioiis  Colic lai 

Bnrdock 71 

Hiitteruiit 75 

Burns yu 

Bones,  how  set 100 

Camphor At) 

Cayenne oO,  80 

Cancers |oa 

Cancer  Plaster 85 

Cancer  Sores itti 

Chamomile 70 

Cherry  Stones tM 

Clivers 72 

Composition  Powders 81 

toUBh us 

Chicken  Broth |»:^ 

Consumption l-js 

Counter-Poison  (see  No.  1). 

Courseof  Medicine •24    80 

Corns 125 

Description  of  Diseases m 

Directions  for  Preparing  VeKetable 

Medicine 79 

Drowned  Persons m 

Dropsy )  21 

Dysentery i£\ 

Klecampaue ||u 

Klra  Bark 7;j 

Hmetic  Herb 40.  70 

Gvan  Root , .'  72  , 

Keatherfew 72 

Felons 114 

Fevers '  14 

FHs ::,Aiy 

Fever  and  Ague 17 

Gentian ' '  73   ^ 

General  Directions 88 

Gravel 120  - 

Giiifer 55  : 

Golden  Seal »|3 

Gout 121 

Golden  Rod  7b   \ 


Headache i^-, 

Hemlock  Dark ,> 

Hoarhuiind '  ] ,  ^^^^ 

Hurscrndish 71 

Injections 8(1 

lutru<luctinn ,',  7 

Internal  Hent  (see  No.  2.1 

"ch... 77.  8'l 

Jaundice m 

Udies'  Slipper ! .' .' .' ! .' ! .' !  |17 

I<ock-jaw 47 

Lily  Root Iff 

Measles ! .   i III 

Marsh  Rosemary [  5^ 

Mayweed tm 

Milk  Porridge h{ 

Myrrh '.'.'.'.'.""  if, 

Mullein 7(1 

Mustard '..'.'.'..'.'.  7t 

Meadow  hern 77 

Mortification  of  I.inibs ..!'!.".""  »8 

Muscles,  how  relaxed |oi) 

Mad  Dog  (.see  No.  I.) 

Midwifery \^>)^ 

Ner\'e  Powder 1)7 

Preparation  of  do 8;i 

Ner\'ine  (see  Nerve  Powder). 

Nettle  Spring \-jn\ 

Nerve Uintment ......'.  nn 

No.  1.     Kmetic  Herb,  description  of.     40 

Preparation  of  do 70 

No.  2.    Cayenne.  de.scriptiou  of.... .  ,'i0 

Preparation  of  do 80 

No.  3.     To  remove  Canker,  descripl 
tion  of  articles  for  that  purpose. .  .'Kl 

Preparation  of  do 80 

No.  4.    Bitters  to  correct  the  flile,  le- 
.scription  of  articles  for  that  pur- 

pose  oj 

Preparation  of  do 82 

No.  ,5.     Syrup  for  the  Dysentery,  de- 
scription of  the  articles  usecl (M 

Preparation  of  do 82 

No.  «.      Rheumatic  Drops,  descrip- 
tion of  articles  used 65 

Preparation  of  do 8;} 

Peach  Meats '. '. '  54 

Peppermint ]      «8 

Pennyroyal ."  fly 

Pipsisway '78 

Pleurisy .......'.'.'  122 

Poisons 28 

Poison  by  Ivy,  etc no 

Poplar  Bark "  (j2 

Pnckly  Ash 78 

Poultice 8fl 

P''es-- :.'.'.■.■  .'105 

Remarks  on  Fevers 14 


1       I 


I.-.  I 


/.v/v  \. 


Riliix     ;, ,,..,,,,,,  IlM 

Ki'd  l'i|i|ui)t. ., ,, .....■.!.',!  .V) 

kr.l  KaspiHiry  '..'.'.'.'.'..  im 

Kill  lllll;llH||| |._>:( 

KlicMinatii-  Driijw ',,..'.'.'..  ii'i 


Kill  iiiiiiillc  W 
KiniliiriN 
M4lvf  .... 
Scaliln 


<l. 


i 711 

KM 

i«  <* H.*i 

Sciild  IK-ikIm ....i!,!'.!   liMI 

Sniullpox 


Sure  r.lpn \2'l 


Sore  l-'vet 
Soi-f  Hiiast 


I '.'I 
liHi 


Skiiiik  C/ililiiiKC 71 


Slipixry  i:iiM  Hnrk 

Siiiiki-  kuiil 

SU-:iiiiin>; 

Mlliiacli 

Sjiiaw  WViil 

Spiritf.  Ill  Turpentine 

SjicariMiiit iin 

SiiinnKT  Sasiirv '..'..'....  mt 

Syiiip .'    ....'.,..'..  n:i 

StrciiKlluniiiL  I'liinter ..'..'..  K, 

Stork  111  Mciljoiiif  s.s 

St,  .VnlliiJin -s  i.'irc  i-m 


>traiiKiii\        ',,,,, 

siiiii  it   ..■ 

Tansy   

'I'H  iiiiiiKliwcirt 

I  iiilill  i»ff  Nerve  l'iiw<l«'ri. 
Vriwrral 


.l-JII 
.  711 
.  7i' 


Viilalili-  Salt* Mi'i 

V<  H'lalilr  I'liwilir N| 

VcrviiK-   uliiti-  II nil  liliie 7(1 

\iKilalil.   Miiliiine.  ilcMcriptliin  of. .  :W 

Wilili  Ihi/il :h) 

Wurinwdiiil   711 

W.ikcinhin 7J 


U'on 


.m 


Vill.pw  DiH'k 77 

Snppliiiuiil |:i| 

MiiluilViy,  liirllicr  renin rkH  on  l:l'.' 

i:\traiitiliMar.-  ease  nf jifi 

Un  in  Stiiatii«a  I'imiilv.  N,  V I.'I7 

I)"  ill  I'.iliiiiiliiis,  nliio |;W 

FaUc  Ciinoi  pliiiii,  rasi'  iif. 1:11) 

(l.llliiii'^  111' ■|'rav,-iil lUt 

Siippli  nil  lit  to  the  Vinerenl U.'i 

\\ll\   ll.l.rlll  pinpll'  (lie.  etc Iltt 

llnw  ill  III  Ills  slimteii.  I'ti" 117 

Kilik'ii'iis  mil  tiiiKs.  'flVcts  of I  III 

Siaiiifu's  ilirertiiiiis  j.'ill 


I'.M 
70 


I  ■.'.•. 

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HI 

711 
.'III 
.'ill 
711 
71 
m:. 

77 
|:ll 
|:li; 
l.f. 
|:I7 
|:w 
|:lti 
ll:i 
ll.'i 
III) 
117 
ll'.i 
I  .VI 


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